Growing up alongside my two younger cousins, I became their third sibling. I was the eldest, and much like the stereotype: bossy. Now, as a professional diver, I use the character-defining traits I developed as a toddler to provide me with the confidence I need to lead dives. As I take a giant stride off the back of a dive boat and into the deep blue, I recognize two things: One, I am the first in the water, and two, I am legally as well as morally responsible for 8 divers. For some, this may be a scary or anxiety-inducing realization. However, for me, the little girl who would squeal with delight at the thought of pleasing authority figures, it is heaven. I credit my bossy attitude which organized games and planned daily itineraries for my siblings and me for my present-day leadership skills. I grew up with a single mom and as an only child which was mainly cared for by my grandmother. But most of my time was spent at my Aunts home where she had my two cousins, Michael (9 months younger) And Mia (2 years younger), and here is where my personality manifested. Although at home, I lacked quality time with my mom due to excess work to keep us afloat and a father I never met, my aunt's home had the picture-perfect family and I nestled my way in. My home skills taught by my grandmother which incorporated art and cleanliness were passed onto my siblings. I taught them creative games using a rope and ball which we referred to as "Pelota Tiki" and a fair share of cleaning up our play dough castles. Although my childhood wouldn't be defined as ideal, it was ideal for who I am as a person and I am incredibly thankful for it. Today I lead dives where the famous insult, “bossy”, is turned into a source of pride and a way to help others. With my trusty buoyancy control device fully inflated bobbing along on the shimmering surface, I await the group which I plan to lead for the day. Once I descend 40-50 ft, I see the group of divers following me, floating majestically around coral structures where I point to the Octopus hiding in the crevice. Their gaping expressions are hidden behind their masks; however, their excitement prevails through their wide eyes. This is where I gain the most satisfaction from my hard work during a dive when I can see that my passion is being passed on to others. I am proud to say that I have the privilege of being able to lead myself and others into a sea of surprises, an ocean of the unknown, and that is the greatest gift I can ever give myself.

“Under the sea” from the Little Mermaid is my theme song. Just as the song says, “We got no troubles, life is the bubbles”, the underwater world opened my mind to what life is about. Massive coral structures, sea fans decorated in pink flamingo tongues, schools of bright fish dancing to the natural beat of the ocean, and the familiarity of being at home in an alien world. The intricate communities with the most diverse relationships between the strangest of species. Massive octopus’s nestled between the smallest of cracks with the remainders of the shells they had recollected from their meals surrounding them, making them known as the “messy eaters” of the sea. The ocean represents life to me. “Thalassophobia- … afraid of the ocean”; Something I would have considered myself while growing up, I was terrified of the ocean. It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 when I heard a seagull for the first time in months (due to Covid-19) that I realized my fear was just excitement masked in self-hatred and depression. My family issues had been deteriorating any life I had left, I had let it seep into my state of mind, driving me into an intense depression which I thought would be the end of me. I was drowning in distaste for life, little did I know I had to drown to be reborn into my truest version of myself, a spiritual mermaid. The survival mode which I entered would be the grounding force for fighting depression. It was something about this alien world, full of color and life, that dispelled away the dead energy that was slowly killing me. As I took my first giant stride off the back of a “Rainbow Reef” boat and into the pristine Florida Key’s, I was felt an overtaking frisson of fear. This giant stride was an allusive moment for the subsequent years of my life, I dove 6o feet into my soul that day. My Open Water Certification in 2020 was the beginning of a new life. SCUBA Diving gave me that chance to be a spiritual mermaid, when I attach myself to a tank that would carry the next 30 minutes’ worth of air, I feel a part of something lager than myself. After my “rebirthing”, I wanted to be the proof for others that there is an afterlife to mental illness, addiction, and self-hatred. It is the way that living that polarity allowed me to be a little bit more grateful every day, a little more excited to drive over a bridge to my high school, a little more thrilled to see different colors throughout my day, a little more compassionate with friends and family, a little more in love with life. I want everyone to experience “a little more” life. The person I am today is entirely based on every life experience I have had which led to this moment. The sole bond which I share with the ocean is irreplaceable and I owe the Ocean my life, which is why I want to pursue marine biology. When I was 4, I dressed up as the little mermaid for Halloween, I’d say it was a foreshadowing moment for who I am today, and my inner child is proud. I now am a Master Scuba Diver and entering the industry, under the sea is where I want to be. The way the dancing motion of the waves caresses the seagrass calmed me down led me to have a life goal to share a goal to help others find themselves through the Ocean’s universal love.

“Under the sea” from the Little Mermaid is my theme song. Just as the song says, “We got no troubles, life is the bubbles”, the underwater world opened my mind to what life is about. Massive coral structures, sea fans decorated in pink flamingo tongues, schools of bright fish dancing to the natural beat of the ocean, and the familiarity of being at home in an alien world. The intricate communities with the most diverse relationships between the strangest of species. Massive octopus’s nestled between the smallest of cracks with the remains of the shells they had recollected from their meals surrounding them, making them known as the “messy eaters” of the sea. The ocean represents life to me. “Thalassophobia- fear of large bodies of water.." Something I would have considered myself while growing up, I was terrified of the ocean. It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 when I heard a seagull for the first time in months (due to Covid-19) that I realized my fear was just excitement masked in self-hatred and depression. My family issues had been deteriorating any life I had left, I had let it seep into my state of mind, driving me into an intense depression that I thought would be the end of me. I was drowning in distaste for life, little did I know I had to drown to be reborn into my truest version of myself, a spiritual mermaid. The survival mode which I entered would be the grounding force for fighting depression. It was something about this alien world, full of color and life, that dispelled away the dead energy that was slowly killing me. As I took my first giant stride off the back of a “Rainbow Reef” boat and into the pristine Florida Key’s, I was felt an overtaking frisson of fear. This giant stride was an allusive moment for the subsequent years of my life, I dove 6o feet into my soul that day. My Open Water Certification in 2020 was the beginning of a new life. SCUBA Diving gave me that chance to be a spiritual mermaid, when I attach myself to a tank that would carry the next 30 minutes’ worth of air, I feel a part of something lager than myself. After my “rebirthing”, I wanted to be the proof for others that there is an afterlife to mental illness, addiction, and self-hatred. It is the way that living that polarity allowed me to be a little bit more grateful every day, a little more excited to drive over a bridge to my high school, a little more thrilled to see different colors throughout my day, a little more compassionate with friends and family, a little more in love with life. I want everyone to experience “a little more” life. The person I am today is entirely based on every life experience I have had which led to this moment. The sole bond which I share with the ocean is irreplaceable and I owe the Ocean my life, which is why I want to pursue marine biology. When I was 4, I dressed up as the little mermaid for Halloween, I’d say it was a foreshadowing moment for who I am today, and my inner child is proud. I now am a Master Scuba Diver and entering the industry, under the sea is where I want to be. The way the dancing motion of the waves caresses the seagrass calmed me down and led me to have a life goal to share a goal to help others find themselves through the Ocean’s universal love.

I find it ironic that relating to the song "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd is what made me uncomfortable. The way the song delves into loneliness and the search for self-purpose is eerily like how I was feeling during COVID-19. The pandemic led me to fearfully face my deteriorating soul, my mother’s addiction, and my lack of self. This uncommon event was perfectly placed into a time of my life when the confining feelings caused by it forced me to break free from the perception, I held of myself. The moment of my diagnosis was comparable to signing my personhood away, I was a list of illnesses not a person, it was a vicious never-ending cycle. My mind was my prison that I needed to escape, it had become "Comfortably Numb". It was a full moon the night when I had felt past the void. For the next couple months, I began meditating, running, and sunbathing. All things which helped heal my mental state and created a new feeling, hope. No longer was I comfortably numb, but rather comfortably hopeful. The way the salt water cleansed my spirit and the sun embraced me with its rays from afar was the magical relationship that saved me. COVID-19 brought about a moment of silence for myself, where I was forced to deal with myself and my deteriorating environment. COVID-19 became an opportunity for me to find myself, without it I could still be “Comfortably Numb”. After my “rebirthing”, I wanted to be the proof for others that there is an afterlife to mental illness, addiction, and self-hatred. It is the way that living that polarity allowed me to be a little bit more grateful every day, a little more excited to drive over a bridge to my high school, a little more thrilled to see different colors throughout my day, a little more compassionate with friends and family, a little more in love with life. I want everyone to experience “a little more” life. The person I am today is entirely based on every life experience I have had which led to this moment. The mute button to my depression became the ocean, which is why I want to pursue marine biology. When I was 4, I dressed up as the little mermaid for Halloween, I’d say it was a foreshadowing moment for who I am today, and my inner child is proud. I now am a Master Scuba Diver and entering the industry, under the sea is where I want to be. The way the dancing motion of the waves caresses the seagrass calmed me down led me to have a life goal to share a goal to help others find themselves through the Ocean’s universal love.

I used to believe that God was in heaven, he lived there permanently and would only be seen on judgment day. There was a clear separation between what God was and what I believed Him to be. As a young teenager, I slowly pushed away from God and religion. I felt that most issues in my life stemmed from a belief that God was absent in my life. I found myself growing resentful of any conversation, song, or person, who mentioned God. It was strange to me that those who believed in him most were the ones which had caused me the most pain. I felt as if God brought me into this world and abandoned me, I did not want to have a relationship with someone who had left me. I did not find God in my daily life the way others did. I got up every morning, taking a breath which, solely crediting my biological and automatic system. I created endless friendships, all of which I blamed coincidence for meeting. I experienced most human emotion, focusing on the biology what chemical imbalances are. It was not until I fell in love that I Found God. It was not until New Year’s that I have realized that God is everywhere. Our human minds cannot comprehend what God is, I believe the closest thing we can ever come to understanding the higher power is understanding Love. I sat on January 1, 2023 to watch the very first sunrise of 2023 and in awe I watched 3 little birds chasing each other along the coast. They flew along the waves and stomped their webbed feet on the sand. I had realized that they loved life, whether willingly or not, they excitedly did this every morning and appreciated it every time. Love is everywhere, meaning God is as well. Elderly people dancing to 80s Jazz music, my dogs running in a green field, the sun kissing Earth every morning, God is in all these things. I had realized that despite my pushing God away as far as possible, He was as close as ever. Every Friday I donate all the surplus food from my high school to a community fridge in Coconut Grove, it is a food prevention program. As much as I look forward to visiting all the individuals which approach me when I place the food into the fridge, last Friday was different. I realized that God was with me. God was within all the individuals I donated food to, God was the action of kindness, God was the food I was donating, God was everywhere. This realization has led me to embrace my actions with a whole other outlook, one where God and Love are one. Rather than entertaining the scarcity in the community and joke about the evils in the world. I now see God everywhere and use this to create programs such as the food waste prevention and my kindness club (Mast Hope Ambassadors) to bring God and Love everywhere

I was in my 2nd period, junior year, when I heard about a community fridge for the first time. A 7th grader had come up with the magnificent idea to recycle the untouched school lunch and move it to local community fridges. An exciting environmental and social imitative, it was supposed to be a school year project to help the environment and local community, but like many great ideas; there was no follow through. I had just created my kindness club and thought that if coordinated by the club it would make things much easier, so I volunteered to be the organizer of the program. This decision would change many lives, including my own. I brought together 2 students per lunch to collect surplus food with a school cart, from there placed into the newly bought fridge (specific to the program), and personally delivered to Coconut Grove’s community fridge every Friday. After weeks of this successful regiment, I met a man by the name of Garmin. Garmin was a middle-aged man which expressed his blissful gratitude of how the schools’ efforts to eliminate food waste enabled him to feed his family. My mind was awakened to the realization that the moment I chose to do this project, was also the moment that I committed myself to a group of people and environment. For the upcoming school year, I have expanded the program to the entire high school and began bringing members on drop offs to truly influence others to recognize the impact they are making on the community and those around them.

Growing up alongside my two younger cousins, I became their third sibling. I was the eldest, and much like the stereotype: bossy. Now, as a professional diver, I use the character defining traits I developed as a toddler to provide me with the confidence I need to lead dives. As I take a giant stride off the back of a dive boat and into the deep blue, I recognize two things: One, I am the first in the water, and two, I am legally as well as morally responsible for 8 divers. For some, this may be a scary or anxiety inducing realization. However, for me, the little girl who would squeal with delight at the thought of pleasing authority figures, it is heaven. Leading dives allows the famous insult, “bossy”, to be turned into a source of pride and a way to help others. With my trusty buoyancy control device fully inflated bobbing along on the shimmering surface, I await the group which I plan to lead for the day. Once I descend 40-50 ft, I see the group of divers following me, floating majestically around coral structures where I point to the Octopus hiding in the crevice. Their gaping expressions are hidden behind their masks; however, their excitement prevails through their wide eyes. This is where I gain the most satisfaction from my hard work during a dive, when I can see that my passion is being passed on to others. I am proud to say that I have the privilege of being able to lead myself and others into a sea of surprises, an ocean of the unknown, and that is the greatest gift I can ever give myself.

“Thalassophobia- fear of large bodies of water… afraid of the ocean”; Something I would have considered myself while growing up, I was terrified of the ocean. It wasn’t until the summer of 2020 when I heard a seagull for the first time in months (due to Covid-19) that I realized my fear was just excitement masked in self-hatred and depression. My family issues had been deteriorating any life I had left, I had let it seep into my state of mind, driving me into an intense depression which I thought would be the end of me. I was drowning in distaste for life, little did I know I had to drown to be reborn into my truest version of myself, a spiritual mermaid. The survival mode which I entered would be the grounding force for fighting depression. It was something about this alien world, full of color and life, that dispelled away the dead energy that was slowly killing me. As I took my first giant stride off the back of a “Rainbow Reef” boat and into the pristine Florida Key’s, I was felt an overtaking frisson of fear. This giant stride was an allusive moment for the subsequent years of my life, I dove 6o feet into my soul that day. My Open Water Certification in 2020 was the beginning of a new life. SCUBA Diving gave me that chance to be a spiritual mermaid, when I attach myself to a tank that would carry the next 30 minutes’ worth of air, I feel a part of something lager than myself. After my “rebirthing”, I wanted to be the proof for others that there is an afterlife to mental illness, addiction, and self-hatred. It is the way that living that polarity allowed me to be a little bit more grateful every day, a little more excited to drive over a bridge to my high school, a little more thrilled to see different colors throughout my day, a little more compassionate with friends and family, a little more in love with life. I want everyone to experience “a little more” life. The person I am today is entirely based on every life experience I have had which led to this moment. The sole bond which I share with the ocean is irreplaceable and I owe the Ocean my life, which is why I want to pursue marine biology. When I was 4, I dressed up as the little mermaid for Halloween, I’d say it was a foreshadowing moment for who I am today, and my inner child is proud. I now am a Master Scuba Diver and entering the industry, under the sea is where I want to be. The way the dancing motion of the waves caresses the seagrass calmed me down led me to have a life goal to share a goal to help others find themselves through the Ocean’s universal love.

Being terrified of a place you call home is unlikely, the alienness to this magnificent blue body of water that covers Earth is so unfamiliar yet addictive. Questions of finding a "new home" arise as I step foot into this hole of mystery. However, as my adrenaline ushers in the question of fleeing to comfortability is silenced. I was not an exceptionally bright child growing up, neither did I possess an angelic voice made for singing, nor a talent for sports such as swimming. However, a skill in myself that has brought about almost every burning passion in my life is my defiant nature to fear. The human mind is a wonder, not only is our fear created by ourselves but can also be extinguished by ourselves, if we choose to. One specific situation comes to mind when discussing fear, free diving. There was something about taking one last breath before swimming aimlessly until you no longer can and shooting back to the top that petrified me. This was until I decided to drown my fear 50 ft underwater. I swallowed my breath, kicking, stroking, until reaching the sandy bottom which just so happened to be the graveyard for my fear. As I sprang to the surface, I had also created a wonderful opportunity out of my fear: Convincing my younger campmate that the ocean was a safe place. Putting my fear to rest and allowing this opportunity to pave the way for others to do the same was monumental for me. From my own personal experience, I realize that many things we fear and have anxiety over is just a mask of excitement for a new journey.

I find it ironic that relating to the song "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd is what made me uncomfortable. The way the song delves into loneliness and the search for self-purpose is eerily like how I was feeling during COVID-19. The pandemic led me to fearfully face my deteriorating soul, mothers’ addiction, and lack of self. This uncommon event was perfectly placed into a time of my life where the confining feelings caused by it forced me to break free from the perception, I held of myself. The moment of my diagnosis was comparable to signing my personhood away, I was a list of illnesses not a person, it was a vicious never-ending cycle. My mind was my prison that I needed to escape, it had become "Comfortably Numb". It was a full moon the night when I had felt past the void. The next couple months I began meditating, running, and sunbathing. All things which helped heal my mental state and created a new feeling, hope. No longer was I comfortably numb, but rather comfortably hopeful. The way the salt water cleansed my spirit and the sun embraced me with its rays from afar was the magical relationship that saved me. COVID-19 brought about a moment of silence for myself, where I was forced to deal with myself and my deteriorating environment. COVID-19 became an opportunity for me to find myself, without it I could still be “Comfortably Numb”.

How I wish to be the her, The Sea Calling after me, the siren in my dreams Rocking with violent blissful currents Floating patches that make up one heart The Sea Manipulated by the light, causing her mood to rise and fall Similar to I, she is How I wish I was as beautiful as her A shapeshifter in disguise Flat and calm can transform into a choppy turbulence Sirens and cities beneath her Containing the memory of a billion years, she has seen it all Knowledge which would impress the creator Beauty which would blind the artist Music which would clean the ears of one And Love which has unconditionally supported me A Love where I found myself lost in A Love where I found myself at home I Hope to be the Sea, her beauty, her calm, her madness, the Ocean Visting me in my dreams, the Siren The one who sings about the tales of the glory, The Sea.

Falling in love is not something you have a choice in, it kind of just happens. As I would say that I fell in love with the Ocean, the way it captures my soul in the moment and the vibrant colors of the sea gave me a new lens to life. As a daughter to a single mom who immigrated from Bolivia, a land locked country, with no college degree, my career path is quite unique. Growing up my family would go to the beach every Saturday, taking advantage of the location they migrated to in comparison to their home country. Despite being terrified of the Ocean while growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday mornings. My uncle and mom would bring me into the water and find small shrimp in between the Sargasm with me, a experience that would foreshadow my current day life. Now every Saturday at 10 am I attach myself to my buoyancy control device, stick my regulator into my mouth, and take a giant stride off the back of my local dive boat. As a Master Diver and a Dive Master in training, Ive experienced the ocean in an a intimate way. Seeing the vibrant colored Parrot Fish munch on the hard corals while a Southern Stingray flies below you with a pair of Ramona's attached to its belly, cleansing it while also receiving a meal. SCUBA has altered my life, creating a passion to pursue marine biology. SCUBA diving allowed me, as a human, to find comfort in an alien place. The comfort of the ocean is at risk through offshore drilling, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, climate change, and so much more. Without the intricate communities which live within, we put the planet in danger of destruction. The opportunity was given to me to experience this alien world, that came with a responsibility to save the ocean, my home. The responsibility will be executed through studying marine biology in university, along with continuing my SCUBA career and enhancing my local impact of awareness. Once an adult, I can officially enter the SCUBA industry and begin to spread the way of connecting with the ocean on another level. Ive created campaigns at my school and social media for marine services. I am a founder of A Plastic Free Sea, a social media based campaign to spread the hope of change. I have received the highest level of certifications for my age in SCUBA and have attended marine science research programs, SeaTrek, through the ability of SCUBA. I hope to continue my education beyond masters and adventure in the world through the lens of a Ocean lover and activist.

Falling in love is not something you have a choice in, it kind of just happens. As I would say that I fell in love with the Ocean, the way it captures my soul in the moment and the vibrant colors of the sea gave me a new lens to life. As a daughter to a single mom who immigrated from Bolivia, a land locked country, with no college degree, my career path is quite unique. Growing up my family would go to the beach every Saturday, taking advantage of the location they migrated to in comparison to their home country. Despite being terrified of the Ocean while growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday mornings. My uncle and mom would bring me into the water and find small shrimp in between the Sargasm with me, a experience that would foreshadow my current day life. Now every Saturday at 10 am I attach myself to my buoyancy control device, stick my regulator into my mouth, and take a giant stride off the back of my local dive boat. As a Master Diver and a Dive Master in training, Ive experienced the ocean in an a intimate way. Seeing the vibrant colored Parrot Fish munch on the hard corals while a Southern Stingray flies below you with a pair of Ramona's attached to its belly, cleansing it while also receiving a meal. SCUBA has altered my life, creating a passion to pursue marine biology. SCUBA diving allowed me, as a human, to find comfort in an alien place. The comfort of the ocean is at risk through offshore drilling, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, climate change, and so much more. Without the intricate communities which live within, we put the planet in danger of destruction. The opportunity was given to me to experience this alien world, that came with a responsibility to save the ocean, my home. The responsibility will be executed through studying marine biology in university, along with continuing my SCUBA career and enhancing my local impact of awareness. Once an adult, I can officially enter the SCUBA industry and begin to spread the way of connecting with the ocean on another level. Ive created campaigns at my school and social media for marine services. I am a founder of A Plastic Free Sea, a social media based campaign to spread the hope of change. I have received the highest level of certifications for my age in SCUBA and have attended marine science research programs, SeaTrek, through the ability of SCUBA. I hope to continue my education beyond masters and adventure in the world through the lens of a Ocean lover and activist.

Falling in love is not something you have a choice in, it kind of just happens. As I would say that I fell in love with the Ocean, the way it captures my soul in the moment and the vibrant colors of the sea gave me a new lens to life. As a daughter to a single mom who immigrated from Bolivia, a land locked country, with no college degree, my career path is quite unique. Growing up my family would go to the beach every Saturday, taking advantage of the location they migrated to in comparison to their home country. Despite being terrified of the Ocean while growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday mornings. My uncle and mom would bring me into the water and find small shrimp in between the Sargasm with me, a experience that would foreshadow my current day life. Now every Saturday at 10 am I attach myself to my buoyancy control device, stick my regulator into my mouth, and take a giant stride off the back of my local dive boat. As a Master Diver and a Dive Master in training, Ive experienced the ocean in an a intimate way. Seeing the vibrant colored Parrot Fish munch on the hard corals while a Southern Stingray flies below you with a pair of Ramona's attached to its belly, cleansing it while also receiving a meal. SCUBA has altered my life, creating a passion to pursue marine biology. SCUBA diving allowed me, as a human, to find comfort in an alien place. The comfort of the ocean is at risk through offshore drilling, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, climate change, and so much more. Without the intricate communities which live within, we put the planet in danger of destruction. The opportunity was given to me to experience this alien world, that came with a responsibility to save the ocean, my home. The responsibility will be executed through studying marine biology in university, along with continuing my SCUBA career and enhancing my local impact of awareness. Once an adult, I can officially enter the SCUBA industry and begin to spread the way of connecting with the ocean on another level. Ive created campaigns at my school and social media for marine services. I am a founder of A Plastic Free Sea, a social media based campaign to spread the hope of change. I have received the highest level of certifications for my age in SCUBA and have attended marine science research programs, SeaTrek, through the ability of SCUBA. I hope to continue my education beyond masters and adventure in the world through the lens of a Ocean lover and activist.

Falling in love is not something you have a choice in, it kind of just happens. As I would say that I fell in love with the Ocean, the way it captures my soul in the moment and the vibrant colors of the sea gave me a new lens to life. As a daughter to a single mom who immigrated from Bolivia, a land locked country, with no college degree, my career path is quite unique. Growing up my family would go to the beach every Saturday, taking advantage of the location they migrated to in comparison to their home country. Despite being terrified of the Ocean while growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday mornings. My uncle and mom would bring me into the water and find small shrimp in between the Sargasm with me, a experience that would foreshadow my current day life. Now every Saturday at 10 am I attach myself to my buoyancy control device, stick my regulator into my mouth, and take a giant stride off the back of my local dive boat. As a Master Diver and a Dive Master in training, Ive experienced the ocean in an a intimate way. Seeing the vibrant colored Parrot Fish munch on the hard corals while a Southern Stingray flies below you with a pair of Ramona's attached to its belly, cleansing it while also receiving a meal. SCUBA has altered my life, creating a passion to pursue marine biology. SCUBA diving allowed me, as a human, to find comfort in an alien place. The comfort of the ocean is at risk through offshore drilling, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, climate change, and so much more. Without the intricate communities which live within, we put the planet in danger of destruction. The opportunity was given to me to experience this alien world, that came with a responsibility to save the ocean, my home. The responsibility will be executed through studying marine biology in university, along with continuing my SCUBA career and enhancing my local impact of awareness. Once an adult, I can officially enter the SCUBA industry and begin to spread the way of connecting with the ocean on another level. Ive created campaigns at my school and social media for marine services. I am a founder of A Plastic Free Sea, a social media based campaign to spread the hope of change. I have received the highest level of certifications for my age in SCUBA and have attended marine science research programs, SeaTrek, through the ability of SCUBA. I hope to continue my education beyond masters and adventure in the world through the lens of a Ocean lover and activist.

Falling in love is not something you have a choice in, it kind of just happens. As I would say that I fell in love with the Ocean, the way it captures my soul in the moment and the vibrant colors of the sea gave me a new lens to life. As a daughter to a single mom who immigrated from Bolivia, a land locked country, with no college degree, my career path is quite unique. Growing up my family would go to the beach every Saturday, taking advantage of the location they migrated to in comparison to their home country. Despite being terrified of the Ocean while growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday mornings. My uncle and mom would bring me into the water and find small shrimp in between the Sargasm with me, a experience that would foreshadow my current day life. Now every Saturday at 10 am I attach myself to my buoyancy control device, stick my regulator into my mouth, and take a giant stride off the back of my local dive boat. As a Master Diver and a Dive Master in training, Ive experienced the ocean in an a intimate way. Seeing the vibrant colored Parrot Fish munch on the hard corals while a Southern Stingray flies below you with a pair of Ramona's attached to its belly, cleansing it while also receiving a meal. SCUBA has altered my life, creating a passion to pursue marine biology. SCUBA diving allowed me, as a human, to find comfort in an alien place. The comfort of the ocean is at risk through offshore drilling, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, climate change, and so much more. Without the intricate communities which live within, we put the planet in danger of destruction. The opportunity was given to me to experience this alien world, that came with a responsibility to save the ocean, my home. The responsibility will be executed through studying marine biology in university, along with continuing my SCUBA career and enhancing my local impact of awareness. Once an adult, I can officially enter the SCUBA industry and begin to spread the way of connecting with the ocean on another level. Ive created campaigns at my school and social media for marine services. I am a founder of A Plastic Free Sea, a social media based campaign to spread the hope of change. I have received the highest level of certifications for my age in SCUBA and have attended marine science research programs, SeaTrek, through the ability of SCUBA. I hope to continue my education beyond masters and adventure in the world through the lens of a Ocean lover and activist.