Austin Irvine

I grew up in a rural town in Kansas. I was very close to cattle farming, growing crops, and the land. I have seen droughts, ate the fruits of my labor, and walked on dirt roads that rarely see travelers. Throughout my childhood, I worked close with Father, nurturing young plants, pouring soy wax for a candle business, and building solar systems. That being said, I was exposed to many alternative ways of thinking when I was young. The struggle to maintain so many small businesses was real, but my parents were still able to treat my brothers and I. With the money that was left, we traveled across all fifty states by the time I was 13 years old. We camped in about 23 of those states. We used nothing but a paper map and signs because it was kind of fun getting lost every once and a while. This really made me appreciate exploration, and the thought of finding new worlds, never explored. As close as I was to the land, I had a great appreciation for computers, the internet, and space. In a way, this was my exploration into the world of technology and the future. In high school, my passion for technology grew rapidly. I also discovered my passion for inspiring others to believe in themselves. The mental growth I experienced in high school was large, but it was nothing compared to what I met in college. At the University of Kansas, I am currently studying interdisciplinary computing physics. I have a great hobby for developing video games, so this area of study empowers me on that level. But beyond that, I have the goal to make faster than light space travel, or close to that. Either way, I want to be at the forefront of scientific endeavors. I want to help the human race exceed what is possible.