With my camera and binoculars in hand, I take every chance I get to explore the natural world. It is all too common for me to lag behind in a group as I try to follow a moth to where it lands or kneel to examine the leaves of a particularly interesting plant. Every day I get to spend outdoors, the more I realize the incredible scale of all I have yet to see. From photographing the 1st iNaturalist record in the world of the flower-loving fly Apiocera haruspex, to an finding assortment of avian county records, I have come to understand how special every moment I spend with wildlife is, as well as the unlimited possibility for learning that exists. My recent focus has been on native bee species, as I’ve helped to confirm the presence of the endangered Anthophora flavocincta at a local nature preserve and enjoy searching for all kinds of unique endemic species. The deep love for nature that I have developed through my experiences outdoors fuels my vision to pursue its preservation. After majoring in environmental science at a university, my ideal career is one focused on leading habitat restoration, particularly of vital environments that are generally overlooked. I see the potential for so many areas to be turned back into the biodiverse outdoor spaces they once were. Ultimately, I want my future to directly alleviate environmental problems, reflecting my care for life on this planet. However, this influences my current decisions as well. Being the longest-standing member of the Cool Irvine Student Steering Committee, I planned a competition among all of the high schools in my city to encourage sustainable actions: The Cool Irvine High School Green Challenge. My motivation to contribute to the planning and execution of this project was borne of my passion for furthering environmentalism. I was driven by a desire to make a difference against climate change, despite the limitations of my age. This ideal was shared by the three other committee members who helped our project achieve greater reach at their schools. Over a single month, an estimated 33.6 CO2e and 45,968 gallons of water were saved as a direct result of student participation. While contributing to a social media campaign to increase participation, I also logged the most actions in my school’s team to model for other members and explained the environmental impact of seemingly innocuous activities. Soon, decisions like prioritizing reusable products and relying on public transportation to and from school fit into normal parts of my peers’ daily routines. One student in my team began bringing utensils from home for lunch every day and taught their brother to do the same, instead of using the plastic options at school, illustrating the ripple effect of change through which I led my team to 2nd place in the city. Through my position in this program, I have seen students become more educated citizens and grow more aware of the consequences of their actions. Alongside the direct tangible impacts of this initiative, I also helped set the framework for organized youth climate action throughout the city, a change that will continue for years to come.