Every great discovery begins with the triggering of interest. An event or a finding sparks the interest in a scientist, and after countless hours of research, the discovery is complete. The same held true for my discovery of RPI. At my high school, there is an annual junior awards ceremony at which the top students of the junior class receive special awards, usually linked to colleges. One of the awards being given out was the Rensselaer Medalist Award, and I happened to be the recipient. Frankly, I hadn't heard much about the school prior to winning the award. However, after asking around, I discovered that the my high school's valedictorian from two years ago was attending RPI. Knowing him personally, I asked him a few questions and got to
