Growing up, I never understood how powerful the use of alcohol can be for a vulnerable and broken individual. However, after experiencing family members falling into the “comfort and distraction” trap that alcohol seems to offer them, I’ve realized just how controlling it can be for those who are struggling. One family member is still fighting her battle against alcoholism, but, unfortunately, my uncle lost in his battle when I was around eleven. I was too young and innocent to know what truly happened, and I just thought he was sick. He had gotten divorced a while back, so he lived alone all the way in North Carolina while the rest of his family was living here in Pennsylvania. He was lonely and depressed with no one to turn to, and so alcohol was what he continuously used to fill that void. On top of that, my uncle struggled with a hoarding disorder, and he had no motivation to fix the situation that he had created for himself due to his dwindling mental state. I’m able to see how everything unfolded now that I’m older and experiencing a similar situation with someone else, but I wish I knew back then because I’ll always feel guilty for not calling or seeing him enough, even though I didn’t know what was going on at the time. These feelings of guilt and regret that have recently begun to flood my mind have made it really difficult for me. I’ve been trying to do anything I can to help my other family member win her battle, even though it’s not in my control, so it has put a lot of weight and stress on my shoulders. However, in the process, I’ve developed a strong belief against the use of alcohol, which many people my age seem to laugh at or judge, but I want to make sure that those who need help, including my family, steer themselves in a better direction. Also, because I feel this heavy weight on my shoulders, I have actually tried meditating and journaling as a way to relieve some of the stress, and it has seemed to make me feel more positive and relaxed. I’ve used them both as a way to release emotions and motivate myself to not give up, which isn’t always easy, and so they have both helped me a great deal. On another note, I’m very passionate about many things in life, such as helping others, success, and loving what I do, and I think that my family has greatly influenced these passions. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them. They have always wanted the best for me, so I want to pursue a degree in forensic science because I feel that it is the right path for me to follow. I know that my family will support me in anything that is going to make me happy, and working in the field of forensics is going to do just that. It will give me an opportunity to be able to help others in my community while also getting to be successful in pursuing something that I find extremely interesting, and I know that my family will be there for me every step of the way. They have influenced and molded me into the person I am today, and everything I believe in, including my belief against alcohol, has been developed from what I feel will protect my family the most. They will always be my biggest supporters, and so I will always be theirs.

I've met a lot of different types of teachers and individuals over the twelve years that I've spent in school. Everyone has different ways of living, teaching methods, and passions, so naturally I decided what teachers I preferred and the ones I didn't. During my time here at Karns City, I have fortunately come to appreciate a large number of teachers, all of whom bring something different to the table. Many of them are young teachers who I can relate to or use teaching methods that work best for me, but one teacher, in particular, has always stuck out among the rest. My Gifted instructor, Mr. MacKrell, is an individual who I greatly look up to and appreciate, and he has significantly influenced me and has completely changed my outlook on life. I was tested to be in Gifted in second grade, so I've been in it for around ten years. He began teaching during my second year and ever since then, I've spent a significant amount of time with Mr. MacKrell, through numerous school days, field trips, job shadows, and academic competitions. Over this time I've developed a very high level of respect for him, and I've noticed many traits and qualities that he possesses that I aspire to have, too. One of those qualities is his extreme passion for his job. I've never met another individual who loved and cared so much about what they do. Every single day he pushes us to be our very best, and he puts so much time and effort into helping every one of his students succeed. Not only is he the gifted instructor, but he's also in charge of our academic games team, which is one of his most prioritized passions. He works with students during every bit of free time he has, and he goes out of his way to make them better. He spends his own time and money creating quizzes and buying books to better his students. He is truly passionate about teaching and helping others, and it shows every day. Not only does he work to better students in academic games, but he's also worked very hard to give all of us opportunities that other students don't have access to, displaying great selflessness. Mr. MacKrell has provided us students with numerous job shadow opportunities such as watching an autopsy, open-heart surgery, trials, and even going to a cadaver lab and STANTEC. Two of these have been specifically for me, the autopsy and cadaver lab, because he knows I want to pursue being a forensic medical examiner. He also shows selflessness in many other aspects. For example, he spends his own money on snacks and drinks so that we have food to eat during the school day, and he even gives each of us gifts on every holiday. Everything he does is for us, and he loves and treats us like his own children. Mr. MacKrell's actions have left a huge mark and have strongly influenced the person I want to be. His endless passion for learning and helping others has sparked the same in me, and I hope to treat others as he treats each of us. I also wish to find something that I can be that passionate about, just as he is with his job. He's one of the most devoted and kind souls I've ever met, and he's made a difference in each of his students' lives. Mr. Mackrell has become someone that I come to for advice and guidance, and he will forever inspire me to be the best that I can be.

Balancing academics, athletics, responsibilities, and personal life all at once is a very stressful and difficult task to do, especially when faced with them every day. After a while, these can take a toll on someone, and they can almost become too much for an individual to handle, resulting in a decline in one's mental health. In addition to all of these responsibilities and activities, people are faced with constant judgment, pressure, and challenges from society, all of which can add to and advance the deterioration of mental health. However, being involved, staying "in the loop," and prioritizing academics all at once doesn't always have to dwindle your mental health, and there are many ways to stay in a healthy mental state. For most of my life, I've been a very involved and busy individual. I've taken honors and AP classes throughout school, and I've still been able to get straight A's my entire academic career. In school, I am a part of the Student Council, NHS, and two other clubs, and I'm an officer of three of them, so I have a lot of added responsibilities. On top of that, I'm an athlete who participates in multiple sports. I play volleyball and track for my high school and club volleyball throughout the winter and spring. Also, I value the relationships I've made, so I have to find time to spend with my family, friends, and boyfriend. What a lot of people don't realize is that in addition to all of that, I also face a lot of pressure and challenges from society simply because I'm a woman, specifically one with passions and goals. While women have continued to prove themselves and make a difference over the years, unfortunately, we are still often belittled and robbed of opportunities, which can be very unencouraging. All of this has, in some way or another, negatively impacted my mental health at some point in time. Trying to keep up with my "straight-A" reputation while having a rigorous schedule year after year has been very difficult for me. A lot of times I feel that I have no time to focus on other things, like sports or my personal life, and it can be very draining on my young, passionate self. I've been able to use volleyball as my escape, but at times I've felt that I don't even have time for it, and so sometimes I notice myself beginning to lose my composure and fall apart. Moments like these are very stressful, and they can be very intimidating to a determined woman like myself who has big dreams and aspirations. Fortunately, I've found ways to combat the never-ending cycle of stress and pressure, and I've worked to make my mental health a top priority. I've realized that to remain in a good mental state, I have to set boundaries. When I've reached my limit and have too much on my plate, I know that I need to take a break and work on myself. Then, I focus on myself and my own needs instead of continuing to push myself past my limits. Doing so allows me to relax and get myself back under control so I can be the very best that I can be when I dive back into the vicious task of balancing academics, athletics, responsibilities, and pressure all at once. Next fall I'll be starting a new chapter in my life, and I'm majoring in forensic science and playing volleyball at La Roche. As a student-athlete and woman in STEM, prioritizing my mental health will be key to success.

Over the past 6 years of my volleyball career, I have had to overcome many different challenges. Since I started in 7th grade until now, I've been at the top of my high school volleyball team. I had an advantage over the other girls, though, because my older sister had already played for a few years and my mom was the assistant coach. So, I already had exposure to the game, and I understood how it was to be played. On top of that, my mother had played in college and so she always taught me how to play at home in my yard. Having my mom as a coach has been a double-edged sword. I love it, but at the same time it's led to a major challenge that I've had to overcome over the years, and up until this year, it bothered me immensely. The combination of being the "privileged" coach's kid and the most skilled on the team is a nightmare. If my team loses, I always seem to be the one at fault. If I make a mistake and don't get subbed out immediately, then it's favoritism. I always felt like no matter what I did, I couldn't win. I tried so hard to be perfect, fearing that I would be criticized in some way if I even made the smallest mistake. Nobody's perfect, though, and volleyball is a game of mistakes, so it was inevitable for me to mess up. This situation faced me with a major mental challenge, and I would leave practice and games upset and crying, which was out of character for me. It burned me from the inside and started to crumble my confidence and self-esteem. However, this year we got a new coach, the 4th one I've had during my high school career. She related to me in many ways because she's young and was in my shoes once, too. She noticed that I cared about what others said about me, and so she made it her goal to prove to me that it didn't matter. She pushed me to try my hardest and play at the level I knew how to play at. She wanted me to jump serve and hit the ball down the line because even though it upset my teammates, it allowed me to prove to myself that I deserved to be playing as much as I did. My whole outlook on the sport has changed from the beginning of the season, and I feel that I have completely overcome the mental block. I'm now able to go into a game confident that I've worked hard to be where I am, no matter what people say, and I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Despite feeling pressured by my teammates and their parents to be the "perfect player," I was still able to hold myself together. No matter what was said about me, I remained positive and continued to rally my team as if nothing happened. Volleyball is a team sport, and so it doesn't work very well when individuals are only playing for themselves. As team captain, I feel like it's my job to lead the team and to make sure that everyone is being the best that they can be. Even when the team has gotten angry at me, I've made sure to keep encouraging and lifting them when they need it the most. I used this mental challenge as fuel to continue being a leader and to prove to myself that I'm capable.

Growing up, I excelled in every subject in school. No matter what class I was in, I was luckily able to find that everything just sort of made sense to me. I understood what I learned and I never really had any questions. Just like the rest of the subjects I was taught, the science lessons were easy for me. However, that class was the only one out of the rest that made me think and at times left me wondering. I might have understood what I was being taught, but that didn't stop my mind from wandering off into a whole new world of questions related to science. I learned about the solar system, but I wanted to know how the universe was created and everything that could be out there. I learned about human anatomy, but I wanted to learn how the human body is capable of doing the amazing things it can do. I learned about DNA, but I especially wanted to know what it can reveal, and that's where I began to dive into the world of forensics. Since sciences of every kind seemed to take hold of my curious mind, I decided that I wanted to pursue science in the future. I've always dreamt of being a scientist who studies the universe and all of its unknown parts, or a scientist who discovers a cure for a deadly disease. In recent years, though, I have decided that I want to go into a career in forensic science over all other branches of science. Forensics was introduced to me through the glorified crime shows that everyone watches, but it sparked my curiosity. There was something about it that really caught my attention, and so I knew I wanted to look deeper into the world of criminology and forensics. Since learning about it, I have done numerous school projects on it and have learned a lot. This knowledge only inspires me to learn more about it in the future. The possibilities of forensics are what make it so exciting to me. It allows for investigation, which permits a curious mind to be fulfilled. With forensics, mysteries are solved, and crime scenes can be completely reconstructed from a single trace of human DNA. The ability to form conclusions from even the smallest pieces of evidence through works of chemistry and biology is amazing. A single thread from an article of clothing or a skin cell found on the victim can put a criminal behind bars because of the forensic techniques that we have today. The world of science is so complex and diverse, and it will never stop expanding and advancing. Similarly, my passion for science, specifically human biology and forensics, will never stop growing either. Each day discoveries are made and mysteries are solved. Sometimes I wonder how there can even be more out there in the world to discover, but somehow there always is. The idea of it sends me into a state where I get zoned out from society and instead am locked in on the endless possibilities and answers the universe holds. Science encapsulates and greatly intrigues my curious mind, and it inspires me to ponder the universe and all of its elements. Most of all, the realm of science has inspired my own goal of pursuing a career in forensic science and is the driving force behind my inquisitive and discovery-hungry mind.

Over the past few years, my father and I have begun to work towards advocating for the environment through creating a tree nursery business that supports replanting trees and fights deforestation. At first, it started with us collecting seeds and growing trees for our desires. My father had wanted to plant more trees on our property so that the animals that inhabited it, mainly deer, had more protection and food to eat. Then, more people learned about it and wanted to buy trees from us so that they could do the same. Since then, we have been increasing the amount of trees we grow and sell each year, and we continue to inform people of the great benefits that planting trees holds for the environment. If I were to leave a message at the top of a mountain I would say, "Stop and take a moment to gaze at the beautiful world that surrounds you. Look at the breathtaking mountains, the winding rivers, the lush vegetation, and all of the innocent wildlife around you. Get lost in the sky and watch the clouds move from place to place. Explore and discover the amazing secrets it holds. Smell the flowers and feel the breeze of the wind roll off of your body. Admire nature and take it all in. See its beauty and awe, witness its sublime moments, and feel connected and renewed. Most of all, don't take it for granted. Protect it at all costs and appreciate and respect it. Nature is the purest, and most innocent thing that life has to offer, and it's in great danger. It can offer a lifetime of sights, feelings, and experiences. So step away from the stressful, crazy, technological society and grab hold of nature and work towards preserving it for future generations."

From day one, I have been taught by my family and teachers to be a leader in all aspects of my life. I was told that being a leader is something that I should strive to be and that attaining the skill to step up and lead others will benefit me for the rest of my life. In elementary school, I was always told by my teachers that I was an excellent leader and example for my peers, but I never really understood the importance of displaying the skill. However, as I've grown up and matured into a young and intelligent woman, I have discovered that being a leader is something to be proud of and that it can open the door to endless opportunities, which is especially important to me as a woman with a yearning for success. Ever since then, I have especially worked towards strengthening my leadership skills, both in and out of the classroom, and I have been able to demonstrate this skill in many areas of my life. When it comes to academics, I have always been a leader. Fortunately, my early years of education came naturally to me, and I excelled in every subject throughout elementary and middle school. As a result, a lot of my peers looked up to me and came to me for help with their classwork. My teachers would put me in charge because they knew that I would be capable of keeping everything under control. The same came to be true in high school. Despite the difficult and heavy coursework of my classes, I have been able to stay focused and continue to flourish. I am one of the top students in my class, and so many of my teachers and peers continue to see me as a leader and role model. In addition to academics, I have also displayed leadership while participating in school organizations. I have been on the student council for the entirety of high school, and I am the Treasurer. As an officer, I have more responsibilities and I am encouraged to take part in extra efforts, not just the ones that are solely for student council. For example, I was one of the people in charge of planning Homecoming, and I participated in the Lip Dub that Karns City just made for one of my classmates, Mason Martin. In addition, I was junior VP last year and was one of the leaders in charge of planning and funding prom. This year, I was elected President of the senior class, which takes on a major role of leadership. I am currently working on organizing class shirts, senior trips, and even graduation. Lastly, I have developed and displayed a great deal of my leadership skills on the volleyball court. For the past two years, I have been the MVP and captain of my high school volleyball team, making me the sole leader. If we are down, it is my job as captain to rally them back and push them to keep fighting. It is also my responsibility to set an example for them to follow. I take great pride in being able to lead my team, and it has greatly influenced me to continue my volleyball career in college. Overall, I have been able to display a great amount of leadership already, but I hope to continue to use this skill to empower me to be the best that I can be in the future. I hope that by being a leader, I will be able to achieve success as a woman in forensic science.

Growing up, I had many experiences with different sports because my three sisters and I participated in what seemed to be pretty much every sport under the sun. Our family put a lot of time and money into these sporting events, and even now we continue to do the same. I spent the majority of my childhood either at the softball or soccer fields, but unfortunately, both sports became more of a burden than a passion for me. My early love for soccer started to fade simply because I grew out of it, but my love for softball started to dwindle because my older sister was, and still is, a superstar in the game. I'd never played on a team separate from her, and so I always felt like she shined over me, leaving me hidden in her shadow. It started to bother me as I got older, and it bruised my self-esteem and my confidence in myself. So, in 7th grade, I joined the volleyball team so that I could carve my path. My sister was on the team already, but I was determined to make myself shine, just as she did in softball. Ever since then, I have poured my heart and soul into the sport of volleyball. I did everything that I could to improve my skills and learn more about the game, and I never missed an open gym or practice. I spent countless hours watching college volleyball games, dreaming of playing at their level one day. Volleyball became my life and my outlet, and it hasn't changed since. It's been the only sport that I have participated in that's truly inspired me and pushed me to be the best that I can be. Volleyball moved and enabled me to set myself a goal of playing at the collegiate level, and that goal forever changed my life. A few years ago my goal seemed too far out of reach, but last night I officially signed to continue my volleyball career at La Roche University next fall, and words cannot describe how excited I am. The burning passion I have for volleyball has completely transformed me over the past six years, and it's taught me a lifetime of skills and lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Like a caterpillar to a butterfly, I was changed from a young and shy girl who lacked confidence in herself to a confident, strong-minded, and determined young woman. Shortly after joining varsity, I surpassed my older sister in almost all aspects of the game. This gave me a major sense of accomplishment because she's someone that I look up to and strive to be like. I was finally able to find my own thing that I could flourish and shine at, and this spurred the growth of a healthy confidence in myself. Volleyball also taught me that I am capable of a lot more than I think. I never thought that I would reach my goal of playing in college, but I did. From this, I learned that having drive, determination and ambition to keep going is what leads one to success. I also learned how to balance my emotions when faced with failure, which is something I will have to do a lot in the stressful world. Lastly, it taught me how to communicate and work as a team, which is a very important skill to possess. Overall, volleyball has changed me for the better and has worked me into a strong woman who is ready to take on the intimidating adult world.

As I've grown up, I have learned a lot about people and the world that we all inhabit. The first ten years of my life were focused on the little things like playing outside, soccer and softball games, eating ice cream, and learning simple reading and writing skills. However, now that I am almost 18 years old, I don't see the world in such a simple way anymore. The world is full of good and bad, challenges and opportunities, and successes and failures. It's complex and dense, and I understand why the immature minds of children are ignorant of it all. I'm still so young and new to the grown-up world, but I now am beginning to understand the way that life works. I've taken part in community service and have been constantly part of several sports teams since I was three years old, so I have come across all walks of life and all sorts of situations. From those experiences, I learned that I am the one in charge of my future and that it is my job to make sure that I make the right choices in all aspects of my life. I have also learned that there are always going to be obstacles in any path to success, whether it be disagreeing individuals, financial struggles, or even judgment from the outside world, but those obstacles aren't impossible to surpass. Most of all, I have learned that I have to work hard and push myself to keep going to reach my goals, especially in the crazy world of expectations and difficulties we live in. With all of that in mind, achieving my future goal of becoming a forensic medical examiner isn't going to be easy. It requires a four-year degree in forensics and years of special training, and on top of that, it requires me to go through medical school, too. That's very intimidating when written out on paper, and so I know that it is going to be a long and difficult path to go down. Not only will it take 10 years of secondary schooling, but it also is going to cost me an arm and leg, which is another intimidating factor that I am going to have to face. The workload of pursuing a college degree in a STEM field while also balancing that with playing collegiate-level volleyball, which I am also adding to my plate, is yet another scary factor. Not to mention all of the unescapable and unnecessary judgment from both individuals and myself because that's just the way of life. Thinking about it all is very overwhelming, but despite this, I know that I can do it with enough motivation and perseverance. Entering college is a giant step from high school, and winning this scholarship will be the first step in the right direction toward achieving my goal of becoming a successful forensic medical examiner. Not only will it help me lift some of the financial burden that comes with secondary education for me and my family, but it will also offer me a sense of accomplishment and excitement. It would provide me with a mental headstart, and winning would motivate me to keep striving to do the best that I can and to keep working hard, even when times get stressful and overwhelming. Overall, being a winner of the Morgan Levine Dolan Community Service Scholarship will award me with both financial help and most importantly, the personal strength that I need within myself to excel and be successful when indulging in college and entering the unsugar-coated, harsh, real world.

Growing up, I excelled in every subject in school. No matter what class I was in, I was luckily able to find that everything just sort of made sense to me. I understood what I learned and I never really had any questions. Just like the rest of the subjects I was taught, the science lessons were easy for me. However, that class was the only one out of the rest that made me think and at times left me wondering. I might have understood what I was being taught, but that didn't stop my mind from wandering off into a whole new world of questions related to science. I learned about the solar system, but I wanted to know how the universe was created and everything that could be out there. I learned about human anatomy, but I wanted to learn how the human body is capable of doing the amazing things it can do. I learned about DNA, but I especially wanted to know what it can reveal, and that's where I began to dive into the world of forensics. Since sciences of every kind seemed to take hold of my curious mind, I decided that I wanted to pursue science in the future. I've always dreamt of being a scientist who studies the universe and all of its unknown parts, or a scientist who discovers a cure for a deadly disease. In recent years, though, I have decided that I want to go into a career in forensic science over all other branches of science. Forensics was introduced to me through the glorified crime shows that everyone watches, but it sparked my curiosity. There was something about it that really caught my attention, and so I knew I wanted to look deeper into the world of criminology and forensics. Since learning about it, I have done numerous school projects on it and have learned a lot. This knowledge only inspires me to learn more about it in the future. The possibilities of forensics are what make it so exciting to me. It allows for investigation, which permits a curious mind to be fulfilled. With forensics, mysteries are solved, and crime scenes can be completely reconstructed from a single trace of human DNA. The ability to form conclusions from even the smallest pieces of evidence through works of chemistry and biology is amazing. A single thread from an article of clothing or a skin cell found on the victim can put a criminal behind bars because of the forensic techniques that we have today. Not only is the science itself impressive, but it will also allow me to give back to the community in some way. I've always loved helping people, and so I want to go into a career that will allow me to do that every day. Forensic science interests me in that it will allow me to mix both of my passions into one. It crosses science with giving back to communities. I will be able to investigate and discover using biology and chemistry, but I will also be helping solve crimes and get dangerous criminals off of the streets, thus making communities safer and better places to live. I strongly wish to make some sort of impact on the world, even if it is something as small as contributing to solving crimes. Having the opportunity to do so while also diving into something that I have a true passion for makes me extremely excited for my future in pursuing forensic science.

As life continues and population and technology continue to grow, the world is becoming more and more endangered. Animals are losing their habitats and fighting for their lives, waters are becoming dirtier and unhealthy, and many areas across the globe are leaning toward being uninhabitable due to their projected extreme climates. All of these occurrences are major concerns to not only me but to many across the nation. However, many is not enough. More people need to contribute to help stop these major concerns before it is too late, and so my family and I have devoted a lot of time and effort towards doing so. One of the biggest ways that I live sustainably in my daily life is by planting trees and selling trees to others so that they can plant them, too. A few years ago, my dad and I found a bunch of acorns in the woods and decided to try to grow them into trees. We researched everything we needed to do to grow healthy saplings, and when they were big enough to put in the woods, we took them outside and planted them. The next fall, we collected even more acorns than before, from various types of trees, and repeated the same process. Since then, our little hobby turned into a mass production of them. My dad and I go out to collect thousands of acorns and seeds each year and we spend hours caring for them as they grow. It has turned into a small business for my dad, and he sells thousands of trees to other individuals who are looking to help better the animals and the environment around them. Planting trees is something that benefits the environment in many ways. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, which is a harmful greenhouse gas, out of the air. So by planting trees, I am reducing my carbon footprint and fighting climate change by helping eliminate the carbon dioxide in the environment. Trees also release oxygen back into the air, so they help make the air quality better. In addition to these, planting trees also helps combat deforestation, which is another huge concern for the animals and the environment. Animals are losing their habitats because of it, so planting trees helps restore the forests and wildlife. By planting trees, I can give back to the environment in several ways at the same time and help reduce my carbon footprint. I think that is extremely important to work towards reducing your carbon footprint because we only have one world. Once we lead it down the wrong path, there's not much we can do. Right now though, we are still able to make a change and save the future. To do that though, people need to start switching to more sustainable practices. Increasing demand and new technologies are leading society to increase their emissions of greenhouse gases, which is causing the world to warm at dangerous rates. If climate change continues, much of the livable land across the globe will soon be unbearable due to the extreme hot and dry conditions. The wildlife and ecosystems will struggle to survive in these new conditions, and so many of its elements will become endangered. Reducing our carbon footprint is very important in slowing this issue, and so everyone has to work towards changing their daily routines into ones that are more sustainable for the sake of the world.

Imagine being called into a heart-wrenching crime scene, and seeing all of the chaos and violence that took place there. Think about seeing an innocent human being, lying there lifeless among the sea of tainted evidence. That person had a family and a life, and in a short moment, they lost all of that because of a heinous crime. In times like this, it is important and necessary for there to be individuals out there to help bring closure and justice to not only the individual but also their families, and that is where the criminal justice field comes into play. My name is Ava Fox, and I am a Senior at Karns City High School. I am planning on studying Forensic Science at La Roche University next fall and becoming a member of the criminal justice field. I have always been interested in the world of criminal justice and the ability it has to help make communities safer and more fair. Although crime shows glorify and simplify the jobs of forensic scientists, crime scene investigators, and criminologists, they still have always had some sort of pull on me. It captivates me that humans can solve even the most sophisticated and layered crime-related problems with the use of new science and technology. These sciences and practices allow for the world to be a better place, which is very needed in today's society where the rates of crime and foul play are increasing. While forensic science doesn't directly deter people from criminal behavior and activities like practices such as the death penalty, it can still greatly influence the world of crime and benefit society. I want to help people and society as a whole, and becoming a forensic scientist will help me achieve that goal but in a way that will also comply with my specific interests in biology, chemistry, and criminology. Forensics can help people and society in many different ways. For example, becoming a forensic scientist will enable me to apply chemistry and biology to evidence collected at crime scenes to help solve crimes and hold criminals accountable for their actions. Using forensic techniques such as DNA analysis, fingerprinting, ballistics, toxicology, pattern analysis, and even fiber analysis, would permit me to connect the dots and link suspects to specific crimes. Doing so would allow me to help society because I would be assisting in getting criminals off of the streets, making communities a safer place for individuals. In addition to making the world a safer place, having a career as a forensic scientist would allow me to help individuals in other aspects, too. Using science to attach criminals to crimes helps bring justice to the victim, and it gives closure to the victim's family. A lot of times, forensic cases are difficult to piece together, and so what happened at the time of the crime is initially unknown. That means that the victim, if still alive, and their family have no answer to what went on. If the victim is killed, the family needs to know what exactly happened so that they can have closure and at least feel comfortable knowing what happened. So, pursuing this career will allow me to help victims and families get justice and closure. Lastly, becoming a forensic scientist will allow me to help innocent individuals who have been wrongfully convicted of crimes. Many people in the past have been convicted of crimes that they didn't commit, but by using new forensic technologies I would be able to help prove their innocence so they can return back to their normal lives.