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Sophia Rains

2,415

Bold Points

1x

Nominee

1x

Finalist

Bio

I'm currently majoring in Ecology & Conservation Biology at Texas A&M with a minor in Secondary Education. Currently at Texas A&M, I am a Staff Assistant for the Big Event and a member of the Society of Conservation Biology. In high school, I was in FFA leading me to be passionate about raising animals. I also love to paint in my free time. Another extreme passion of mine is volunteering. In the past, I was Webmaster, Treasurer, and most recently Vice President of my high school's Key Club. Other organizations I participated in were Student Council and Latin Club. I have the drive and motivation to be the best I can be! Along with those clubs, I was a member of National Honor Society (NHS), Science NHS, and Mu Alpha Theta (Math NHS). After college, I hope to be either heavily involved in conservation and to educate others on the environment.

Education

Texas A&M University- College Station

Bachelor's degree program
2023 - 2027
  • Majors:
    • Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
    • Education, Other
    • Education, General
    • Natural Resources and Conservation, Other
  • Minors:
    • Education, General

Lone Star College System

Associate's degree program
2020 - 2023

Klein Collins H S

High School
2019 - 2023

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Bachelor's degree program

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology
    • Natural Resources and Conservation, Other
    • Education, General
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Education

    • Dream career goals:

      Teacher and Conservation Biologist

    • Employee/Cashier

      Monster Fireworks
      2022 – 20231 year

    Sports

    Artistic Gymnastics

    Club
    2011 – 20154 years

    Awards

    • 1st Place level 3 Small Team at multiple competitions

    Research

    • Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering

      Klein Collins FFA — Research an agriculture related topic and perform an experiment to create a logical solution to the issue found.
      2022 – 2023
    • Plant Sciences, General

      GT - Strack Intermediate — Create an environment to grow and observe kohlrabi and cauliflower plants.
      2018 – 2019

    Arts

    • Klein Collins High School

      Dance
      2019 – 2021
    • Klein Collins High School

      Animation
      2019 – 2020

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      Klein Collins FFA — Member
      2020 – 2023
    • Volunteering

      The Big Event at Texas A&M University — Staff Assistant
      2023 – Present
    • Advocacy

      Society of Conservation Biology at Texas A&M University — Member
      2023 – Present
    • Volunteering

      Strack Intermediate National Junior Honor Society — Member
      2018 – 2019
    • Volunteering

      National Honor Society — Member
      2022 – 2023
    • Volunteering

      Klein Collins Key Club — Vice President, Treasurer, and Webmaster
      2019 – 2023

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship

    Muir Way Scholarship
    Let it Grow! “You can’t reap what you don’t sow, Plant a seed inside the Earth, Just one way to know its worth, Let’s celebrate the world’s rebirth, We say let it grow!” These lines from the cinematic masterpiece…The Lorax, perfectly illustrates how I feel about conservation. Through my future career as an Environmental lawyer or wildlife biologist and my past experiences positively contributing to the environment my passion for conservation and environmental science is seen. Living in Houston there are many environmental issues that I can help solve as an Environmental Lawyer and wildlife biologist. Houston is a growing city that relies on oil and gas production and various factories. As a lawyer, I hope to defend the environment around me while still finding a solution with these powerful oil companies. As a wildlife biologist, I would research how fracking and extracting oil can affect the surrounding environment. It has already been confirmed that when water from fracking is not properly stored or transported the ground is contaminated with harmful chemicals. However, I would like to investigate how the small earthquakes resulting from contaminated water being put in the Earth affect the environment it is under. Houston is a concrete city and with concrete comes runoff. Another topic I intend to research is where all the water flows, what chemicals are in it, and if it changes surrounding vegetation growth. With this research and my hopeful career as a lawyer, I will be able to produce more information about my local environment as well as enact policies to protect it. My love for environmental science was confirmed when I walked into room 422 two years ago. This was my AP Environmental Science class, Ms. Broussard was my teacher, and I could not stop asking questions. I joined the Environmental Club which led to me being the most active member. Unknowingly our officer team and members lived by the “Let it Grow” lyrics. We cleaned out our school’s garden area that had gone unused for several years due to COVID and we “plant a seed inside the Earth” because “you can’t reap what you don’t sow.” First, we weeded the garden then planted local flowers and vegetation along with some in-season crops that we could eventually harvest. I recycled some old 1-gallon water jugs to use as watering cans. With the guidance of my teacher, we were taught how to test for different nutrients in the water by creating and then maintaining our own ecosystems. This is where my love for environmental science blossomed. Taking a geoscience course my senior year opened my eyes to how truly devasting oil or other forms of fossil fuel can be to the environment. This is where my interest in the previously mentioned fracking stems from. In conclusion, I know my love for environmental science and conservation is shown as well as my dedication to my upcoming profession as a wildlife biologist and lawyer. Conservation is an ever-changing field that is vastly diverse. I believe that this profession is necessary to make our future a livable place with plentiful resources. I intend to use this scholarship money to fund my college education at Texas A&M University as an Ecology & Conservation Biology major. I will use my knowledge to protect the city and wildlife I grew up around. The last piece of information I would like to leave you with is this lyric from the famous town of Thneedville that was heavily affected by deforestation, “It’s time to change the life we lead, Time to let it grow.”