In this blog post, I will summarize what I learned and how I felt, focusing on my academic work, school activities, volunteer experiences, and efforts toward my future career during high school.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

During high school, I was greatly influenced by my friends as I contemplated my future career path. My friends were active in an entrepreneurship club, combining study sessions with hands-on practice, and I joined their study group as well. Since most of us were aiming for mechanical engineering programs, math grades were crucial for college admissions, so we naturally focused on competitive math study.
We introduced a tournament-style study method to test our math skills, which we called “Toner.” With 10 participants, each person solved problems nine times, and the top five with the most points advanced to the next round. In the final stage, the two participants with the highest point totals faced off in a head-to-head final, with the ultimate winner taking home the prize money. This format required thorough preparation and served as a strong motivator to maintain or reclaim the top spot, significantly increasing our level of immersion in the study group.
The preliminary rounds used mock college entrance exam questions, and the participant who answered the most questions correctly within the allotted time earned points. We used private mock exams to ensure no one had seen the problems before, and I practiced my solution process dozens of times to be both fast and accurate. In the main competition, I competed against four others on Olympiad-level problems, and the person who answered the most out of five questions correctly earned points. Since simply providing the correct answer without a solution process wasn’t counted, this helped me develop both my problem-solving skills and my ability to present logical reasoning.
I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I reached the finals, competed on the highest-level Olympiad problems, and won the prize money by accurately presenting my solution process. Through this experience, I learned not only simple problem-solving skills but also how to systematically train in time management, accuracy, and problem-solving strategies, which greatly helped me develop the mathematical thinking required in the field of engineering.

Major Extracurricular Activities and Reflections

I gained knowledge, developed creativity, and honed my leadership skills through my participation in “It’s,” the school’s mechanical engineering entrepreneurship club. In the club, we primarily engaged in mechanical design practice and gained practical experience by participating in exhibitions and designing products. During collaborative production after the design phase, I often served as the team leader to guide the project.
I primarily conducted drawing design using computers and CAD software in the multi-purpose lab. Initially, I built a solid foundation by drawing according to blueprints provided by my instructor, and once I became more proficient, I began attempting designs that incorporated my own ideas. I focused on designing electrical machinery, such as home appliances, in an effort to establish my own area of expertise.
In terms of extracurricular activities, I participated in the International Machine Tool Exhibition in Tokyo. At the exhibition, I encountered a wide variety of machinery, ranging from ship and aircraft machinery to vending machines, and I noticed distinct technological differences between countries. Even among vending machines, the internal configurations and delivery mechanisms varied, and I found it fascinating to observe differences in electronic product specifications and household voltages.
As a senior, I led a team project to build a mini-crane as part of an entrepreneurship club’s business plan assignment. We designed the mini-crane with the goal of reducing industrial accidents. Inspired by the safety equipment examples I saw at the Tokyo exhibition, I led the team as the group leader throughout the project.
As team leader, I took the lead in completing and submitting the business plan and securing funding and consulting support. Using the well-equipped activity room and the funding, we began developing a crane that minimized vibration, applying the mechatronics design and control knowledge I had learned in my advanced major courses. When problems arose, we held meetings to identify improvements, and by listening to various opinions and finding common ground before implementing solutions, I developed teamwork and practical decision-making skills.

Examples of Compassion, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

My club teammates and I have consistently participated in home repair volunteer activities in partnership with a local senior welfare center. We actively participated in any volunteer opportunities related to mechanical design or equipment maintenance, finding meaning in volunteering because of the sense of fulfillment that comes from providing necessary help to others. In particular, the home repair volunteer work allowed us to directly experience the values of sharing and cooperation.
The center introduced us to elderly individuals living alone or households with mobility-impaired seniors as our beneficiaries. After listening to the center’s mission and volunteer program and discussing our roles during a meeting, we decided to take on the physically demanding tasks that male students could handle. Specific tasks included delivering rice, replacing worn-out doorknobs, replacing old light switches and light bulbs, and delivering furniture.
We divided the tasks and worked together; I was in charge of replacing old light switches and light bulbs. We selected a total of 16 households and conducted on-site surveys for each one. As a result, we determined that switches needed to be replaced in 15 households and light bulbs in 10. We brought the necessary supplies from the center and, working with my teammates, repeatedly collected the old bulbs, connected the wires, and secured them in place.
Since the work finished more smoothly than expected and we had some time left, we volunteered to help with additional tasks, such as delivering rice and furniture. Seeing the elderly residents happy after the volunteer work made me feel a deep sense of pride, and I truly experienced the happiness gained through sharing and the importance of cooperation.

Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation for Application and Career Plans

I have a strong tendency to set my own study plans and act based on them. My dream is to become a mechanical engineer and develop home appliances such as refrigerators myself. To this end, I led a project in high school to design and build a natural refrigerator.
Since there were limitations on materials and workspace for actually building a refrigerator using refrigerants and catalysts, I instead embarked on developing a natural refrigerator using the school’s basement space. I used the club’s lab as my workspace, and the plan was to utilize the basement as a natural cooling element.
The body was constructed of wood, and I used heat-dissipating plates and plastic bottles for insulation. The lid was designed with a double-layered structure: the outer lid was wrapped in plastic bottles to ensure insulation, while the inner lid was made of a metal heat-dissipating plate to induce radiative cooling at night. Cutting one side of the lid at an angle to make it easier to open and close was another design choice made with functionality in mind.
Upon first use, we realized it wasn’t cooling as expected, indicating a problem with the internal insulation. We reinforced the internal insulation, cut and joined together PET bottles, and filled them with ink. The black liquid increased the infrared emissivity, helping to improve the nocturnal radiative cooling effect, and the cooling performance improved noticeably.
When installing it, I stacked stones to level the surface, taking the slope of the ground into account. As a result, its performance was so good that my friends in the neighborhood used it frequently. Through this project, I became convinced that the process of defining problems on my own and completing a product through repeated cycles of experimentation, feedback, and improvement was a great help in preparing for my future career.