Our Earth is dying. It has been getting exponentially worse. It seems we are really not doing enough, and not enough people are caring. Mandatory recycling will help, but just recycling won't be enough to repair the damage that has been done. We need to change our ways of living. We need to be using renewable energy, reduce, reuse, and recycle waste, composting, and minimize unnecessary trips to reduce gas emissions, just to name a few ways people can help. People also need to stop using generative AI. The use of AI has grown immensely in just the past few years, and so many people don't know how bad it is for our environment. It uses up so much energy and water, adding to our already dying environment. Our current administration is choosing to ignore climate change, repealing several acts and other things that had been established to help combat climate change. We are moving backwards as a nation. If we keep heading this way, there will be serious consequences; we are already facing some. Our ecosystems would die. With the excessive emission of greenhouse gases, combined with the lack of forests and unhealthy oceans to absorb these excessive CO2 emissions, so many climate issues will occur. Most of our animals will go extinct. Many of them are endangered because of how bad our climate has become. The air quality will get so bad that everyone will get sick. Food and water would be scarce. These are just some issues. It is so important for international cooperation and individuals to do their part in ensuring a healthy Earth for future generations. This affects every single person living on this planet, and everyone is capable of doing something, even if it's small, to contribute to this issue.

The most influential person in my life is my mom. She has helped me and been there for me through every part of my life. She has definitely been the most encouraging person in my life, always assuring me of my worth and that I can shape my future however I want. I have had a love for animals since I was very little. I don't remember a time when that wasn't an interest of mine. I loved going to the zoo and learning about all the animals there. My mom would sign my siblings and me up for the zoo summer camps every summer at the Sequia Park Zoo. These camps further expanded my interest. We learned all about the zoo animals, other animals, and did fun activities as well. My mom saw how much I loved this experience and kept signing me up, and looking for other activities that the zoo offered. Once I was too old for the camps, I got signed up for their Youth Assistant Keeper (YAK) program, which really dove into what it's like to be a keeper, and its responsibilities. My mom has always put me in things that I've shown interest in. She has never told me that I couldn't do something and has always thought that if I wanted to do something, I could do it. She encourages me all the time to reach higher and continue my education. She knows that I do well in school and thinks I have a good plan for my future. I like making her proud. I want to go to college and pursue a higher education, for myself, and to make her proud. My goal is to earn a Bachelor's or maybe a Master's as well in zoology. I want to work hands-on with animals and learn all about them. I would love to not only work in a zoo, but also in the field, which I think would be very fun. She says I would be a great zoologist, and I should pursue it if that is my passion. She's always said, "I've always seen you having a career where you work with animals," which is exactly what I want to do. She really just wants me to be happy. If I didn't have my mother's support, I think I'd be unsure and discouraged. I thank my mom all the time and am so grateful for her immense support for me and my dreams.