“There are a lot of things in life that people think they can’t do or are impossible,” said Senior Ruby Mykkanen. “But when I start to think like that, I like to remind myself that you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try.”

Even when she was a kid, she had the drive to try new and difficult things. 

“Ever since I was really small, I would take apart electronics and stuff like that, just to see what they look like on the inside,” said Mykkanen. “It was a kind of art to me.”

That’s what she’s always been doing, intertwining her interests in art and engineering. 

“I always had an interest in math and science and everything to do with that,” said Mykkanen. “It’s not like it contradicts my musical and artistic things. Those are just like other things I like to do.”

By doing this it has helped her reach her goals including going to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall. 

“II was kind of in a little bit of shock because obviously I applied with the intent to get in,” said Mykkanen. “But actually having that dream come true, it’s pretty insane.”

It may seem insane to her, but it is clear that her teachers and family have all supported her and her dreams from day one. 

“The top person that inspired me is my dad,” said Mykkanen. “He was the one that actually introduced me to computer science and coding. He really pushed me to pursue that. Him and the rest of my family have always really encouraged me to go for my goals.”

It may seem clear that she was destined to become an engineer, but to Mykkanen it is not that simple.

“When I started high school, I wanted to be a professional artist, animator and then when I was getting more and more into music. I thought that I would be a professional musician,” said Mykkanen. “There were just so many things that I liked and that I was interested in.” 

At one point she even wanted to code artificial intelligence and even took some classes to learn to code, but ultimately it didn’t stick. 

However, Mykkenan thinks that this may be one of her strengths that MIT caught onto.

“I think overall, MIT is looking for somebody who’s not just laser focused on one thing,” said Mykkanen. “I think that’s partially why I got in because I’m interested in so many things. I have backgrounds in art, graphic design, coding, like a bunch of sciences, biology, chemistry, all that, and I’m interested in all of it.”

She also thinks that personality had a partial role to play when MIT was making their decisions. 

“Unless you’re an absolute genius and you like to invent something, then it’s not purely your intellect that’s gonna get you in,” said Mykkenan. “It’s what type of person they’re looking for.”

If that’s the case then she’s going to fit right in, and that’s just based on how she described her application alone. 

“It’s just kind of a different vibe, and they are looking for people who fit their vibe,” said Mykkenan. “I think it’s funny because I wrote some jokes into my application and I was a little nervous about it, but I felt like it was just right.”

Even through the applications of other colleges Mykkenan could tell that they weren’t right for her. 

 “It’s really funny because with a lot of the other Ivy Leagues I was looking into, it’s very formal and very, I don’t want to say pretentious, but that is kind of how it comes off,” said Mykkenan. “Whereas MIT, they’re very funny. Like, even in the application itself as I’m filling it out, I can tell it’s casual and it doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable, like the other Ivy Leagues did.”

There are still some details that she is trying to iron out. The first being that she hasn’t seen the campus yet. Her curiosity lets her continue to see the bright side. 

“In terms of visiting, I’m mostly just really excited,” said Mykkanen. ”I’ve been to the Boston area. My family was on a road trip out there. I almost drove past MIT, but we ran out of time. But yeah, mostly just excitement. From my experience with the east coast, I love it.”

If her story tells us anything about life, it’s that trying and a positive outlook will take you far. “What matters is that you tried and even the effort of trying will make you better at whatever you’re trying to achieve,” said Mykkanen. “Even if you don’t necessarily get the medal or win the award or make it into your dream school, the process of trying to get there will improve it and will teach you so much.”