The endless wonder of nature is the greatest inspiration in my life. Ever since I was a child, I would ravenously consume any knowledge about science or nature placed in front of me. I spent hours watching National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, and reading books. The more I learned about nature, the more I loved it. It is endlessly complicated, and yet everything manages to work from something simple like the water cycle to complex food webs. Every time I look outside, I see how amazing it is, how everything must be precise for balance to be maintained, and the intricate sciences behind everything. It's an infinite well of inspiration for me. However, inspiration alone isn't enough to make someone do great things. To strive to achieve, someone needs to have the drive to do it. For me, that drive comes from my desire to create a better future. Everything I've done over the years has been to make a better tomorrow socially and environmentally. Right now, the world looks bleak; there's no denying it, and things only seem to be getting worse. But among the bleakness of reality, there is hope, growing environmental conciseness, better LGBTQ+ rights, and advances in science. These are the things that signal a possibility for a better future for humanity, and I want to be a part of making sure that happens. I want to become an environmental scientist to dedicate my life to learning more about nature and helping to preserve it. Climate change is a looming threat, and in my life, if something isn't done about it, it'll be too late. I cannot sit back and watch that timer tick down; I want to be a part of the people trying to make sure our planet stays as healthy as it can be. On top of that, having a career in science is perfect for my natural tendencies and passions. As should be clear by now, I love learning, so having a career where I am in the constant pursuit of knowledge is a driving force for me to succeed. As someone who is queer and not living in a welcoming environment, I feel that I must try to create a better future for people like me. I want to become an advocate for change and to be an outspoken member of the community. No one should have to hide who they are or live in fear of the repercussions of their identity like I do. A better future is where no LGBTQ+ people have to hide and where laws protect all of us equally. My inspiration and drive have been the factors that have propelled me forward and kept me going through the years of hard work I've done. They are an essential and inseparable part of who I am. And I hope that I will fulfill my desires to succeed and make the world a better place, thanks to them.

Without a doubt, my favorite film is The Secret of Kells. It is an absolutely gorgeous film from a seriously underrated team of people. It came out in 2009 when I was just 6, but I still clearly remember my first time watching it. First, the art style was and still is, unlike any I'd ever seen before. It is beautifully animated in 2D; it was so colorful and so finely detailed. Every frame is a piece of painstakingly created art. It uses motifs from traditional Irish art, which is what the film revolves around throughout it, and although the character designs are somewhat simplistic, they all manage to look distinct. Everyone is uniquely shaped; some characters are blocky or round than others. But everyone still looks like they belong in the same movie. Such a unique and beautiful art style captivated me when I was young, and it still does. Secondly, the story is very intriguing. It revolves around creating the Book of Kells, a real manuscript, and the main character's journey helps create it. He faces multiple challenges, his uncle's controlling nature, tasks he has to overcome, supernatural threats, and barbarian attacks. One part of the story that always stuck with me is when Brendan, the main character, fights the Crom Cruach with the help of the fae Aisling. It was such a genuinely suspenseful and scary moment for young me, and I still remember that feeling today. My appreciation for the film has only deepened as I got older. I've learned more about Irish history and literature, and now I notice the subtle nods and references to it in the film. Even though it's a kid's film, it still holds a special place in my heart.

I think that society will change in multiple positive ways because of the pandemic. Although the pandemic is a tragic time in ongoing history, we can still take some positives from it. It will change in 2 significant ways, sanitarily and socially. Our standards of sanitation will continue to be high after the pandemic. I expect regular sanitation of commonly touched surfaces to be more common and particular workers regularly wearing masks. I also think that people will be more mindful about how close they are to someone and respect other people's personal space more. One of the biggest positives will be people just wearing masks more often. If you're sick or just suffering from allergies wearing a mask while going out is a great option. It's hard to think that we just had sick people breathing all over us before, especially since wearing a mask while ill is common in other countries like Japan. Although there is one downfall to having everything be more sanitized. Young children and babies need to be exposed to germs for their immune system to develop more. Without exposure to germs at a young age, kids are more likely to develop allergies, so there will likely be a lot more kids with peanut allergies in the future. We will see major shifts in school and the workplace due to the advent of at-home working. However, these changes have the potential to both good or bad. Some people love working from home; they think it's more freeing and relaxing. The reduction of stress and a more flexible work environment is very beneficial for people's productivity and mental health. Working from home will also help people who otherwise could not make the commute to work. The same could be said for school; some students love getting to do their work at their home for the same reasons. It also helps those who otherwise have to wake up extremely early to catch a bus to school. However, these changes have negatives too. Some people hate working from home. For some, the workplace was their one chance to socialize or get out of the house. Or some people don't want their work-life intruding on their personal life more than they feel it already was. Adults working and students may be unable to focus well enough at their home, or their home may not be well suited for online working. More pushy teachers or unscrupulous teachers may use online learning/working as an excuse to pressure sick people to still work when they should take a sick day. Or employees may use this as an excuse to withhold certain benefits or insurance from employees. Many businesses may realize it's far cheaper not to have a physical office and force their employees to work from home if the employees want to or not. Hopefully, online working and learning will become a viable optional choice for people. Ideally, those who want to can choose to work from home and still get the same benefits as those who work in an office. However, online learning should only be an option for those who cannot make it to school. It would be an extreme detriment to teachers to have all or most of their students work online. Also, kids need to interact with other kids, that's a simple fact, and many parents have the problem where all of their children are at home, but they need to go work. The parents either have to work less or hire a sitter; those are options that some people may not have. Overall, I believe that society will change for the better after the pandemic. But, that positive change is something we need to make happen, not something that'll happen naturally. Employees need to put their foot down when it comes to how their employees handle online working. Teachers and parents need to be vocal about what's best for their children and students. Most of all, people need to be more considerate of how their sanitation and health impact others.

To start with a bit about myself, I'm from a small town that's painfully dull. The most exciting thing to happen here is when a road gets paved, and we get to enjoy a smooth pothole-free road for a few months. Because of that dullness, I had to get creative with finding ways to entertain myself when I was young. My best friend and I would crouch by the ditch in her front yard to watch minnows, crawfish, and snails living in the water. Sometimes we'd even catch them to get a better look before releasing them. During winter, we'd participate in a more exciting activity, venturing into the woods behind the neighborhood. Which, in hindsight, wasn't a safe activity to do, but no one ever stopped us. We'd walk along the creek and look at whatever wildlife we haven't scared away, try to identify tracks or scat, build tiny pots out of clay and leave them out to dry in the sun and find neat little places to rest. All of the things I did as a child had one thing in common, they fueled my curiosity. My curiosity is definitely one of the biggest influences in my life. Although I'd like to say I have some great role model who inspired me to do great things and influenced how I grew up, that's not true. I never paid attention to celebrities, and specific scientists never caught my attention, although this is probably because none were ever pointed out to me. So, my desire to learn and discover is what has driven my whole life to be where I am today. Before I could even read, I was curious; I remember sitting down to watch NatGeo or the Discovery Channel for ages when I was little and then gleefully recounting everything I learned to my very patient teacher. And when I could read, I remember some of the first books my family got me were things like How Things Work, How in the World, Ultimate Weird but True, and other books that were just facts. So, even from a very young age, it was clear I wanted to learn. And that passion for learning carries on in me. I want to discover new things and advance my knowledge and understanding of the world. That's why I want to become an environmental scientist. I would be miserable if I had to spend my entire career stagnant, doing the same thing, being the same place, never learning, never progressing, and never contributing to making the world a better place. As an environmental scientist, I will fuel my curiosity and contribute to the world's betterment. Throughout my entire high school career, I've worked hard to ensure my success so that I can do those things. I didn't have to join an early college or join honor societies and clubs, but I did. And I did those things because I want to succeed so that I can go on to do great things. That is why curiosity is the biggest influence on my life. It drives me to do better, learn more, and seek out opportunities for myself. Without my ravenous desire for learning, I would not be where I am today.

It took many many years to figure out what I was. For most of those years, I didn't even realize I wasn't a normal straight person, I assumed what I experienced and felt was normal. But when I entered high school I started to realize I was different. And I promptly supressed those feelings for two years. It wasn't until I was junior when I felt brave enough to actually start discovering was I am. Turns out, I'm not heterosexual and heteromantic, I am asexual and demiromantic. Even though it took a long time to figure out, I couldn't have been more happy when I did. Everything made sense, suddenly I knew I wasn't alone, I wasn't strange or broken and that there were other people like me. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulder and a light was shone on a whole huge part of me that I didn't know existed. I delved deep into my new identity, searching for more information, and searching for online communitites. Finding people like me and getting to read about their experiences filled me with joy and made my years of uncertainty feel validated. I wanted to burry myself in pride because I just felt so incredibly happy that I found out what I am. Although the initial phase of exuberance has worn off, I continue to love what I am. I love the communities that asexual people have built up. The ace community is full of people like me, and yet full of different experiences and perspectives I get to learn about and relate to. Interacting with that facet of the queer community also opened me up to learning more about the broader LGBTQ+ community. Learning about the struggles of other queer people has inspired me to advocate harder for LGBTQ+ rights. I also am getting braver when it comes to standing up against aphobia and other homophobic behaviors in society. Although I'm not quite brave enough to come out to my family, yet, I want to help other people learn about themselves and support them.