I founded the UCSC Rocket Team in the fall of 2016. I heard about the NASA Student Launch Initiative (NASA SLI) at the Mars Society conference during the summer of 2016 and knew I was going to enter the contest even if it meant dumpster diving for parts. Luckily it never came to that and I convinced a number of my friends studying physics and electrical engineering to collaborate on the project. We found lab space on campus and thus the rocket team was born. During my time leading the team, we build a total of 4 high powered model rockets, featuring various versions of our adaptive aero-braking system and student rolled carbon fiber airframe. The team has grown to 50+ students and our achievements were recognized on the floor of the House of Representatives by Congressman Panetta (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0mgADtt-JI). I take pride in recognizing the technical development that the team has accomplished, but by far I am the most proud of the community outreach that the team organized. We visited local elementary schools and girl scout troops, bringing our rockets and teaching the kids to build small paper rockets of their own. Inspiring young students to consider careers in STEM really fuel my own optimism for the future.