Both my grandmothers were teachers. Not because they wanted to, but because that was the only option they had to pursue their curiosity outside of the home. Women didn't "do" science. This is still a pervasive pattern today. Many women today don't join STEM fields because of a lack of confidence. I understand that. I cannot count the number of times my ideas have been taken, my words spoken over, and my accomplishments minimized just because I am a woman in a field women aren't "supposed" to be in. I could have given up. But I can't, not really. Not when I can almost feel the hands of every woman in my life pushing me forward, encouraging me. Like my grandma, who told me I deserved a place, no matter what anyone said. Like my mother, who always told me to stick to my guns, that I was smart and capable. Or like the many female mentors and professors I already have had the pleasure of meeting, who carved out their own space where men were given one, then encouraged me to do the same. So, when a supervisor told me to check my math on results I was getting because they weren't lining up with other results, I checked the math on the results I was being compared to. I was right. My project turned into a literature study on faulty research practices leading to skewed results. If I had gone the quiet route expected of women, I would have amplified scientific inaccuracies. When I got an opportunity to tutor science, I would always make an effort to tell women they were smart and capable of answering difficult problems. Most of the time, that confidence boost was all they needed. I have chosen STEM because I cannot stand by without using my intelligence to make a difference, and to give back to the women that had faith in me. I can't just be a person studying how to save the environment. I have to be a voice for other women to do the same. A safe space, an encouraging voice, and a strong example of what anyone can be capable of, no matter where they started. Scientific spaces are for women, and diversity creates strength. Every mind which works differently than the minds around them can discover a new solution or call out an old mistake. The earth needs women. I will not let it down.

Sustainability is critical because it ensures human connection. Living in the deserts of Washington, I am faced constantly with admitting the global environmental failure to my loved ones with sentences such as these: "Oh, sorry kiddo, we can't go to the river today, there's another algae bloom." "There's nothing coming out of the faucets, the water table dropped again." "Mom, remember to put on your N95, there was another wildfire, remember?" I want to have conversations about philosophy, math, or art, but one cannot discuss coherence when the world is crumbling around them. My anger at its destruction is really just grief at the loss of opportunity for the people I love. We all have varying abilities to work towards the solution. The average person could recycle, or a business owner could swap out unsustainable manufacturing for a better option. A government official however, if convinced, can create guidelines and structures that ripple outward, shaping how entire regions manage the land. In my career as an environmental scientist, I will reduce environmental impact by utilizing what cannot be ignored: proper data and communication. I believe the secret to this is implementing GIS technologies. Spatial data is one of the most powerful tools we have for understanding how our activity affects the land. I am intimately aware of this due to where I grew up, in Benton County, nestled right next to the Hanford superfund site. At Hanford, nuclear waste was buried underground with the assumption that any leached contaminants would "filter out" before reaching the groundwater or rivers. As you may guess, it did not filter out. How do we know? Groundwater modelling using GIS software. Plumes of contaminated groundwater were mapped and shown to government officials, and quickly, multiple pump and treat systems were implemented to intercept contaminated groundwater. Learning this success story taught me an important lesson: 99% of creating change is efficient communication to those in charge. Proper figures quickly convince people in a way that numbers never will. Consider trying to communicate the size of celestial bodies. "The sun is 432,288 miles in radius and the earth is 3959 miles in radius" is nonsensical compared to "If the sun was the size of a basketball, the earth would be the size of a mustard seed". Scientists use visual pattern recognition because humans evolved to understand the world through what we can see. GIS takes this instinct and turns it into a tool for protecting communities. That is the work I want to do. I will use data to create maps and visuals that clearly communicate our most important environmental issues. With this work, I can make sure that sustainability will be more than an ideal. I can illuminate a path forward that protects the places and people I love. That's my dream of sustainability.

Ah, the pumpkin spice latte. A beacon of "basic white girl" culture. One I rejected and refused to try for a long time, but eventually I learned that enjoying fall and being "basic" isn't something to be ashamed of. Growing up, I was very close to my sister. We're the closest thing to twins without being twins. We were born 20 months apart. We also look practically the same, but we couldn't have more differing interests. She grew up as a "basic girl", enjoying fashion, makeup, and trends, while I grew up neurodivergent, enjoying climbing trees, video games, books, and art. I was jealous of her growing up. She enjoyed many friends, attention from boys, and a steady Instagram following because of her natural charisma and interests. I experienced bullying. Sometimes those bullies would try to be friends with my sister. I tried to be more like her, and it worked for a little while, but it wasn't really me. My sensory issues made makeup and tight clothes feel horrible, and gossip just didn't hold my attention like books do. I felt fake. I felt wrong. I grew to resent my sister, my bullies, and everyone who enjoyed "basic" things. Didn't they know doing something like buying a drink just because of the season was stupid? Didn't they know dressing up and putting on makeup was vain and uncomfortable? I was so much smarter and better than them, I thought, for enjoying nature and books. I knew everything. Meanwhile, my sister and people like her were just enjoying life. Most of them weren't getting drinks or following fashion trends because they wanted to be liked, it was just what they wanted to do. It was wrong of me to assume that they were faking being basic just because I have had to fake that personality to fit in. They're just enjoying life. Just because my reasoning was disingenuous did not mean theirs had to be. I had come to associate trendy interests with unkind people. But my sister was never unkind. She protected me from bullies, using her popularity to tell them off. Now, I don't constrain myself in the fall. I get that pumpkin spice latte. It's popular because it's good. There is absolutely no shame in enjoying popular things. Sitting in a Starbucks and drinking a latte is a sure way to get me to finish an assignment.

My name is Abigail Hollenberg, and I’m going to save the world. I’m not strong, or brave in the face of physical harm. I don’t come from a long line of people with their names etched in marble. What I do have, however, is my mind. My voracious appetite for learning. When I was a kid, I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know. In my books I found facts. Lessons. I was told I was smart. I was told my voice was compelling. In my books, the characters found the most important thing in the world and ran after it full speed. What was the most important thing I could do? What mark would I leave? When I didn’t have my nose in my books, I was outside. Sometimes I helped my grandpa in the yard. He was a scientist, and to me, it seemed like he knew everything. I constantly asked him questions. He answered them. In the real, respectful way, not in the simple and not quite correct way I’d found other adults preferred. He made me realize I needed to learn about how the world worked. As I grew, I read more about the world. I learned how broken it is. I learned how grand it is. I realized what I needed to do. The most important use of my mind is saving the environment. I remember the moment I realized this, on a boat, looking over onto the open water. My family was fishing. We fished for sport, and over my short life we caught fewer and fewer. I wondered what the decline in fish was doing to people who relied on it for food. I saw what the future held through the lens of climate change, and it terrified me. I knew I could help. I created a plan. I needed to be a strong leader, a compelling voice, and well educated to reach this goal. To accelerate my education, I enrolled in college classes as a junior. I need to lend my mind to the scientific community as soon as possible, so I am using all resources available, even though collegiate classes are more difficult. I have solidified my love for science through the classes I have the privilege of taking. It has set alight a passion inside of me. Being a strong leader requires practice. I needed to learn leadership skills before beginning my career. So, I turned to something I was already good at, choir. I became choir ASB president this year, and I’ve learned how to organize people, communicate with others, and most importantly, change old systems that weren’t working anymore. I also began to tutor science at the college I attend. This way, I learn how to teach others about science in the future and show them the reality scientists see regarding climate change. Through these experiences, I am better able to communicate to others so we can all work hard to achieve environmental stability. I still have far to go, because if I want to lead research, I am going to need at least a master’s degree. I have a plan for that too. I am already accepted into WWU, and I’m looking forward to attending the Honors College with like-minded peers. There, I will discover which discipline of environmental science I am suited to lead. I believe that environmental science is the most important field of study today. I can’t wait to dedicate my life to it. This scholarship will make it possible for me to quickly learn, with less monetary stress. Thank you for your consideration.

"Abby. Abigail. I already rang the bell 3 times. Silent reading is over." "Hm?" I looked up from my book. I hadn't heard a thing. This was a common occurrence throughout my childhood. I didn't know at the time, but I was experiencing hyperfocus. I thought it was a superpower. My parents and teachers thought it was ignorance of the rules. Looking back, we should have known that I had ADHD very early in my life, but I was also a gifted child, so my struggles were overlooked. I am also female, so the traditional idea of ADHD at the time didn't match my experience. I was not diagnosed with ADHD until I was 16. Instead, I was called "lazy" "not living up to potential" and "hyper". Many of my "symptoms" didn't bother me, because, to me, I was doing the right thing. I didn't understand that answering every question the teacher asked without raising my hand or working ahead impatiently was annoying to others. I was often told I was "too much". That part bothered me. Other people just weren't enough! I never understood why my peers didn't want to associate with me. The friends I did make were all later diagnosed with autism or ADHD. It's funny how we instinctively stuck together. While my intellect largely masked my ADHD, that doesn't mean it didn't affect me. I did well in subjects that interested me like English and science, but Math eluded me. For me, the issue was the laser focus required. The simplest slip could cause you to get an entire problem wrong. This was fatiguing, and I would find myself doodling or sneaking a book during math classes. So, while I could hyperfocus on some classes, I consistently failed math tests, not because I didn't understand the concepts, but because my ADHD caused the negative signs and formulas to slip out of my grasp. I had to retake math because of this, and I took a hit to my mental health after this. In middle school, I struggled with anxiety and depression because of a combination of the fact that my previous "gifted kid" identity felt like it was being torn away, and my peers ostracized me for my hyper and childish nature. I was terrified of myself and my thoughts. I genuinely think quarantine saved my life by allowing me to pull away and spend some time in therapy. Now, when I tell others about my past, they find it hard to believe that I struggled mentally for so long because in their words "you're so bright". I gained a lot of empathy through my struggles, and I now work as a tutor at my local community college. Many people come in with struggles. They have full-time jobs, learning disabilities, mental health or addiction issues. I know how it is to have struggles in school, so I help them better than I could have if I had not struggled. I'm not glad it happened, but I'm glad I can use it for good. I had to learn that not every brain studies in the same way. I do well when I gamify studying or set timers. I like flashcards and writing things out. Some people need to read and build models. I understand that everyone has to discover what works for them. Every brain is unique, and especially neurodivergent people need to understand that there is no "correct" way to learn. Just what works. I love that I can show people that now. My story is also many others'. Thank you for your consideration.

Protection of the oceans is the protection of our people. Growing up in the United States in the historic land of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla people (to name a few), I have always been acutely aware and interested in the Native American idea of respecting what the earth provides. The area I live in surrounds the Columbia River, which is our lifeline, community hub, and energy source and as a desert city, it provides a lot for us. The Columbia is the 52nd largest river in the world and runs through North America to the Pacific Ocean. However, instead of protecting our river, we abuse it. Near to my home, the Hanford Nuclear Site holds the distinct honor of being the most polluted area in the hemisphere. Besides the toxic leeching of radioactive waste, we also have many farms that produce fertilizer runoff. This creates HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms). All this to say - for much of the summer, we don't get to enjoy our river without health risks. While missing our river is a tragedy, it is nothing compared to what is happening to those who depend on the oceans to live. The ocean provides livelihoods to 3 billion people. Especially those in coastal communities, people who depend on marine life for food, and indigenous peoples depend on the ocean, and we are destroying it. I cannot and will not stand by and let this keep happening. My heart is too close to the ocean and humanity. I know what the meaning of my life is. I will lead research on better ways to manage our oceans with my Environmental Science degree. I am so passionate about this that I could not wait to earn my education. I started working for my AS degree at 16 and at 18, I earned it. I look forward to earning my master's in environmental science by 22. I am dedicating my life to this important issue. I know that offering my mind and energy will further this cause. I can just hope that the oceans of the world will hold on until I can truly have the opportunity to help. I am not simply waiting for education though. Everyone can help the environment by making more sustainable choices every day. It doesn't have to be something huge. I just hope that everyone will try one day. Thank you for your consideration.

"Oh, I see. You're a Christian..." Is a common sentence I hear. It is often accompanied by a furrowed brow and disappointed tone. You see, I love music and theatre, but those activities attract many people who disagree with Christianity. Many of them are gay or transgender, and because of that, they think Christians hate them. Christians may have hurt them in the past. So, when they hear that I am a Christian impeding on their safe space, they get scared or judgmental. But my relationship with Jesus has helped me express my faith in a different way. A way that is kind and gentle. I don't hide my faith and convictions, but I have to think. What would Jesus do in these situations? Luckily the bible tells us. In Jesus' time the tax collectors and prostitutes were considered the "highest sinners". Of course, we know from James 2:10 that no sin is higher than another, but certain sins just bother us more than others, right? Even though socially those groups were the worst, Jesus spent time with them. He is kind and merciful to the adulteress in John 8:1-11 and spends time with Levi in Mark 2:13-17. If I am to be like Jesus, I am called to love everyone, despite their sin. Through my educational journey, I am sure to meet people with traits that tempt me to hate. I am going to school for environmental science because my heart breaks for the fact that greed has clouded some, allowing them to destroy God's creation. Some people may also choose to be ignorant and overconsume. These are evil things that I intend to open their eyes to through research and my skill in compelling others, but who am I to hate them? That's not productive, nor is it what God calls us to do. So, when I speak with these people, I will come from a place of love and gentleness, just as I have learned to in high school with others I don't agree with. My relationship with Jesus has opened me up to kindness and he has given me a vast gift of empathy. Sometimes it's hard, but I remind myself with this verse: Mark 12:31 "The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' No other commandment is greater than these'. We are called to love and serve, not to judge. God will do plenty of judging for us, and I would be just as tainted with sin as a satanist if God had not washed me clean. So, I can't wait to approach my academic journey as a kind example of Christians, as we were meant to be. Thank you for your consideration.

Some kids had their head in the clouds, I had my hands in the dirt. I love soil. The feeling of mushing the mud through my hands and watching the worms and bugs soothed my ADHD mind. I would do it for hours. When my dad would plant in the garden, my favorite part was opening up the earth to accept new roots. It's so cool, Isn't it? The way the earth recycles dead things to create new life. All soil used to be, and still is, life. Humans are meant to be close to it. Humans can smell fertile soil better than sharks can smell blood in water. Unfortunately, we're disconnected from the soil. We cover it with concrete and asphalt, we use chemicals -instead of nature's perfect cycle- to force more income out of struggling dirt. We ignore it, and it causes issues including runoff, climate change, and endangerment of species. But it still gives so much to us. In high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I considered many options, but the decision didn't come to me until one day I was on a summer camp trip where we couldn't bring our phones, and therefore had a lot of time to think between freshman and sophomore year of high school. I was laying on a floatie in the lake and staring up at the sky and trees, thinking. And it came to me, all of a sudden. The best use of my mind would be to help the world around me and protect us against our own destruction. I was going to save the world. Of course, I wasn't going to be able to do it alone (I'm not a cool eco-superhero unfortunately). Now that my course was charted, I figured I needed to become a bit less ignorant, so I ran at it full force and did dual enrollment coursework at my local community college. I just graduated with my AS-T and plan to go to Western Washington University in the fall to continue with my Bachelors in Enviornmental Science. I hope to eventually get my Master's and lead research in climate solutions. While fancy science-y solutions are important for combating the issue we face, a lot can be solved at the consumer level. Every earth day, and when anyone makes the excellent choice of asking me, I try to influence my friends and family to make more eco-conscious choices. Gradually, I have been able to get people to make small sustainable changes like shopping slow or secondhand fashion, using wool dryer balls instead of single use sheets, using the loofah plant instead of plastic loofahs, using reusable water bottles, growing and composting food, and I even got my dad to install solar panels on our barn! These swaps work well and are easy, but they aren't the most important. Most of all, I encourage my peers to support policies and politicians that want to see environmental change reduced. If huge companies aren't controlled, many of them will stop at nothing to make more money, which is how we got into this situation anyways. I want everyone to have the chance to go camping and enjoy nature, but unfortunately, we have a lot of work to do to get there. In many places around the world, plastic and oil fills their rivers and lands and smog fills their air because of greed. I can't stand by and watch that happen. I offer myself. I can't wait to get my hands dirty again.

My name is Abigail Hollenberg, and I’m going to save the world. I’m not strong, or brave in the face of physical harm. I don’t come from a long line of people with their names etched in marble. What I do have, however, is my mind. My voracious appetite for learning. When I was a kid, I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know. In my books I found facts. Lessons. I was told I was smart. I was told my voice was compelling. In my books, the characters found the most important thing in the world and ran after it full speed. What was the most important thing I could do? What mark would I leave? When I didn’t have my nose in my books, I was outside. Sometimes I helped my grandpa in the yard. He was a scientist, and to me, it seemed like he knew everything. I constantly asked him questions. He answered them. In the real, respectful way, not in the simple and not quite correct way I’d found other adults preferred. He made me realize I needed to learn about how the world worked. As I grew, I read more about the world. I learned how broken it is. I learned how grand it is. I realized what I needed to do. The most important use of my mind is saving the environment. I remember the moment I realized this, on a boat, looking over onto the open water. My family was fishing. We fished for sport, and over my short life we caught fewer and fewer. I wondered what the decline in fish was doing to people who relied on it for food. I saw what the future held through the lens of climate change, and it terrified me. I knew I could help. I created a plan. I needed to be a strong leader, a compelling voice, and well educated to reach this goal. To accelerate my education, I enrolled in college classes as a junior. I need to lend my mind to the scientific community as soon as possible, so I am using all resources available, even though collegiate classes are more difficult. I have solidified my love for science through the classes I have the privilege of taking. It has set alight a passion inside of me. Being a strong leader requires practice. I needed to learn leadership skills before beginning my career. So, I turned to something I was already good at, choir. I became choir ASB president this year, and I’ve learned how to organize people, communicate with others, and most importantly, change old systems that weren’t working anymore. I also began to tutor science at the college I attend. This way, I learn how to teach others about science in the future and show them the reality scientists see regarding climate change. Through these experiences, I am better able to communicate to others so we can all work hard to achieve environmental stability. I still have far to go, because if I want to lead research, I am going to need at least a master’s degree. I have a plan for that too. I am already accepted into WWU, and I’m looking forward to attending the Honors College with like-minded peers. There, I will discover which discipline of environmental science I am suited to lead. I believe that environmental science is the most important field of study today. I can’t wait to dedicate my life to it. This scholarship will make it possible for me to quickly learn, with less monetary stress. Thank you for your consideration.

I'm a youngest child who grew up with a Nintendo Wii. My favorite game to play as a kid was super Mario galaxy with my brother, who is six years older than me. "That's a single player game", some might say. Well, those some who might be saying such outlandish things have never been put on "little sibling mode" also known as being the star in super Mario galaxy. As the star, I had the privilege of gathering star bits (the in-game currency), holding back enemies for short amounts of time, slightly helping with jumps, and just being a general nuisance. No, I was not instrumental to the completion of the game whatsoever. My brother could have just as easily played the game on his own without me. But he didn't. My favorite times playing Super Mario Galaxy were when my brother would pretend that my little star tasks were important. He made me feel like he couldn't possibly win without me. He made an effort to spend time with his sister, even though she wasn't really helping in the game at all. However, occasionally my help was important. For every 50 star bits, you receive an extra life. One level was particularly hard, and we had retried it several times. We were almost to the area where the star to complete the level was, and my brother had one life left. Several enemies lay between us and the star. Mario ran, barely missing the enemies near us. I could practically feel the wind whistling past my star ears. We had almost 50 star bits, and I was trying to collect more while also focusing on holding off enemies. Suddenly, my brother made a mistake. He jumped, and his trajectory was towards an enemy. I had 49 star bits. My brother screamed. I screamed and thrashed my Wii mote around wildly. Then we were still alive. No death screen. "Run!" I yelled in my six-year-old child voice. He ran. We beat the level. As a kid, I hadn't had the opportunity to feel important yet. When I played Super Mario Odessey with my brother, who was twice my age, I felt indispensable. He couldn't play without his little sister star. Many people may say that video games are a waste of time, but I'd never take back the time I spent playing with my older brother. It's a memory I keep treasured. Super Mario Odessey is definitely not the best game I've ever played. Not even close. But it's the best time I've ever had.