I am a bisexual student-athlete at Dickinson College, (Carlisle, PA) from Charleston, South Carolina and I am incredibly passionate about ocean conservation. Growing up on the water, I’ve watched the beautiful Lowcountry fall victim to one of the most toxic pollutants known to history, plastic. For my senior thesis at Academic Magnet High School, (North Charleston, SC) I completed research seeking to explain how plastic pollution is found in Charleston’s marine ecosystems, with a focus on the links between environmental conservation, art, and biology. To do this I selected Drum Island, located under the Ravenel Bridge in the Charleston Harbor. Drum Island is located almost directly in the center of the harbor; it inadvertently traps plastics from the Cooper and Wando rivers before they reach the harbor and ultimately the ocean. While not all of the plastic that enters the rivers or harbor ends up on the island, it collects a representational portion. To best communicate to my community the prevalence of plastic in our small, but beautiful harbor, I chose to create a work of art made entirely from plastic I sourced on the island. I created a mural inspired by the information collected on the nature of plastic pollution in marine ecosystems and the purpose of this plastic in environmental artworks. My connection to my hometown of Charleston, and my love for the ocean and its creatures inspired me to express my concerns about the growing issue of plastic pollution in the waterways while discovering what role plastic has in environmental artwork. The oceans have fallen victim to one of the most pervasive and dangerous forms of pollution mankind has created. As a result, environmental artists have begun searching to initiate change and draw awareness to the negative effects. Artistic works have become an increasingly popular means of expressing environmental concern via more representational and futuristic portrayals. By expressing what might become or emphasizing what we currently face, artists situate their works alongside researchers and studies that explain current statistics and predict future numbers. Art is one of the most effective means of communication, as it forces observers to confront a subject, without the limits of language barriers. Plastic as an artistic medium has become an especially effective form of communication favoring change and awareness towards plastic debris in the marine environment. Plastics are one of the slowest degrading polymers man has created to date and it consistently pollutes marine ecosystems. Because of the high concentration of macroplastic materials in the oceans, many environmental artists have seen plastic as a call to action. As humans, we are solely responsible for the issues that plague our planet and threaten to slowly destroy all that Earth has provided. With the help of this scholarship, I can work to continue my research on Dickinson College’s campus, working with the biochemistry and molecular biology department as well as the studio art department to create artwork that emphasizes mitigation and also participate in departmental research which broadens the understanding of the detrimental impact of plastic in our oceans and waterways. Because of the dangerous problems plastic pollution causes to the environment, and environmental art’s ability to address such issues, this scholarship would allow me to continue to create art pieces and engage in research activities, which will seek to exemplify the growing issue of plastic pollution. My intention is to be accepted into a graduate program for either marine biodiversity and conservation or perhaps coastal and ocean policy, the end goal being to work to clean the world’s water system and help preserve our uniquely beautiful planet.