Prosper ISD Student Engagement
Prosper High School Senior, Fatemeh Fardin "may seem like an average high school student when passing her in the hallway, but after moments with this extraordinary young woman the reality becomes clear. She is more than meets the eye.
Fatemeh has been involved in Robotics, DECA, Coding Camp, Camp Invention, Astronomy Club, Class officer, UIL Academics, and several Honor Societies. During this time, she has led and excelled in most of these endeavors. She has served as leader and teacher at both camps, and been involved with the Prosper ISD AP Research and Seminar classes. She also served on our UIL Student Leadership Team for the entire district.
This past summer she was selected into one of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) programs (MITES Semester) where she was also able to gain more information regarding their school. She explained that, "What stood out to me was their ability to harmoniously unite intelligence and advocacy for societal impact: to spread knowledge to their students, so that the very same students can become the front bearers and innovators that change our world even if it is little by little. Out of all the schools I applied to, I learnt that from my summer program MIT truly embodied this quality."
Fatemeh applied to MIT, the university with one of, if not the lowest acceptance rate of all US universities. She recently received notification that she was accepted! An amazing feat! When asked about her journey that led to MIT, Fatemeh explained, "My journey in the field started when I took Algebra 1 as a 7th grader (being one of the few in my grade), and that further verified my passion for STEM. Then, in high school, I decided to pursue it further by taking engineering classes."
While there are many students who have endeavored this educational path, Fatemeh explains how she turned her experience into an MIT acceptance. "I recall feeling imposter syndrome among my peers who had years of experience in engineering since childhood. However, I did not let this discourage me; I always worked to make the most of the opportunities provided, and I believe this is the largest thing I can credit for my acceptance. Authenticity in college applications is very important, and I believe that I was able to communicate my genuine passion for STEM and its ability to empower children to join the field despite their limited resources or personal experiences in the past (like me)."
She is looking to major in mechanical engineering to later take part in the aerospace field. She is also interested in pursuing business to be equipped to reach a wider variety of audiences.
