From a young age, the rhythmic crashing of the waves, the warm sun engulfing my skin whole and the ripples caused by the smallest of creatures in the sand brought me curiosity and a longing to protect the ocean. As an environmental engineering major, the significance of ocean conservation resonates deeply with me. Growing up in Miami, where my father rose to the sunset every day at the beach for over 20 years working as a heavy equipment operator, I developed a profound gratitude for the ocean and what it provides for us all. With a degree in environmental engineering, I plan to leverage my knowledge and skills to contribute to safeguarding marine environments. As a result of my dad’s job at the Miami beaches, I was constantly aware of the different personas the beach took on in its various seasons. From spring break after many tourists and college students stopped by, to the calmness of the civilians and pollution contrary to the choppy seas in November, I was able to witness firsthand the impact humans have on aquatic ecosystems. My family history has additionally contributed to my deep regard towards the world’s seas as well. Embarking on a journey away from their native country as political refugees, both my parents set sail on a raft hoping they would reach a better place than the one they left. While they thankfully did, their stories of resilience and fondness of the ocean that drifted them to a safer life with more opportunities instilled in me an even greater respect for the ocean. Choosing to study environmental engineering was a natural progression of my passion for the oceans. Through my coursework, I have gained a comprehensive understanding of the environmental challenges we face and the tools necessary to address them. Once I have successfully completed my degree, I plan to focus my time and studies on ecological restoration in my home city, sustainable coastal infrastructure and more efficient waste management systems to combat marine pollution. In Miami especially, issues such as ocean pollution and ocean acidification not only degrade our environment, but are a health risk to civilians in the city. Much of this can be halted and prevented in the future with more people pursuing environment-focused career paths. However, I acknowledge that I cannot simply complete all of this on my own, so I recognize the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships. Change can only be made with collaboration among those in other fields such as marine biologists, policymakers, and local community chairs. In conclusion, my deep-rooted connection to the oceans, nurtured by my childhood experiences, family history, and personal observations of environmental deterioration, fuels my passion for protecting these invaluable ecosystems. Through collaborative efforts, innovative projects, and advocacy, I am committed to putting my expertise to use to ensure that future generations can inherit the same awe-inspiring oceans that have shaped my life. Let us unite in our responsibility to safeguard our oceans, for they are not just vast bodies of water but life-giving sanctuaries that deserve our unwavering protection.

My earliest memories as a child consisted of spending my days at the beach running around and picking up whatever small item my mind could fixate on and observing it closely for the rest of the day. While my mom went to work, and my older brother went to school, which I was not old enough for yet, I accompanied my dad to his job at the beach. Many of my mornings were spent by the coast, feeding my appreciation for the ocean and what it provides us with. However, appreciation was not the only thing that manifested in my time along the beach. Constant exposure to tiny shards of litter in the water, people ignoring signs of turtle nests and many other issues paved the path for my future aspiration. From then on, I would strive to work in environmental engineering, specifically in marine environments. By not only studying marine life but its role in an average person’s everyday life as well, much can be gathered and improved on. Discovering the impact that humans impose on the environment, and the feedback loop it eventually creates can help us all generate solutions for how to prevent further damage to our ecosystems. Issues like ocean acidification as a result of global warming and increasing amounts of carbon in the atmosphere, which many assume is not an issue for those working in the marine field, are now leading to larger problems, affecting every sphere of the Earth. Contrary to what many believe, with the arising harm in marine settings, humans are affected largely as well. Those that rely on the ocean for their source of food, income and water are now suffering along with aquatic life, emphasizing the need for advancements to protect and restore the ocean. Through the career path I choose to pursue, I plan to further the already existing studies there are on marine ecosystems, while also acting on it, through the path of engineering. Little can be done to better our oceans and the species that rely on their health if only studies are conducted and no action is directly taken. Creating solutions to ocean-related problems, now also involves tackling other areas of the environmental sector that are being ignored. For instance, this would include working to ameliorate both the intensity and frequency of coral bleaching waves by focusing on our atmosphere, sea levels, and lessening nutrient overload. By centering human-caused problems in the ocean, sea life is not the only thing recovering. Combatting another matter like sea level rise also helps those at more risk of its consequences like people living on the coast. They would no longer have to worry about contaminants in their drinking water, or if their property will be flooded or damaged severely during natural disasters. Because many different areas of life revolve around reliance on the ocean, preserving and rehabilitating it has become a very important deed. Life everywhere revolves around the water and life in the ocean, which means we should all be healing it, which is what I plan to do.

We were completely surrounded by trash. I had collected about more than 15 full bags of trash, yet there was still so much more left to do. It was spring break and I was cleaning up what the out of town college spring breakers had left as scraps on an island in South Florida. Although I was on land, I was still drowning, just not in water. In each bag of trash I had collected in the past 3 hours, was garbage ranging from the smallest of microplastics and cigarette butts, to cardboard boxes and plastic soda can rings tangled into another. While everyone seems to be aware of the large amount of litter that goes into the ocean and its impact on sea life, no one seems to really care enough. There are organizations that have been doing everything possible to clean up the trash in the ocean, but we are still nowhere near cleaning up the 5 trillion pieces of plastic there are floating around the world. While I know not much can be done in the grand scheme by only one person, a single person can still impact others. Over the past 3-4 years, I have been focusing on helping clean up South Florida’s beaches and educating others on the impact of plastic pollution on marine life and even on us. By going to beach cleanups individually and with organizations like Baynanza, and sendit4thesea as much as possible, I've been trying to do everything in my power to make a change in my community. Among attending local beach and wetland cleanups, I also started an environmental youth group in Miami Dade. Through this organization, we educate young adults on environmental issues and what they can do to help through social media and emailed newsletters. We also work with the Miami Baynanza organization coordinator to encourage the youth in South Florida to attend volunteer events that provide community service hours, in order for them to make a personal change in the community they are living in. The amount of plastic going into the ocean doesn't only affect marine life, but eventually ends up affecting us as well by going up in the food chain. When these plastic items go farther up the marine food chain, they break down even more, becoming microbeads, and they eventually get to us. We end up ingesting them from our own food, and applying them to our bodies through daily use cosmetics, without even knowing that we’re causing harm to ourselves. While trying to educate as many others about this issue, I’ve also volunteered in local organizations in order to try to plant organic foods that are less likely to be affected by microbeads. I’ve worked with HealthintheHood, and also learned how to compost correctly through other local organizations in South Florida. Additionally, I created a butterfly garden four years ago in my old elementary school with planted organic produce. This garden would serve as a way to increase nutrition education among younger kids, so that they know what to ingest growing up, and how to plant their own organic foods at home. Later on in the future, I look forward to increasing the audience from the environmental youth group in my community to reach more of the youth in South Florida and attend even more volunteer events from other local organizations. After graduating from high school and university, I plan to continue attending volunteer events and starting a non-profit of my own. This nonprofit would focus on the restoration of corals and endangered marine animals from damage by humans. Instead of only a set amount of people, all of this would be done while also working with the public by educating them and providing resources for them to make an impact. Nothing can be done with one single person, but one single person can still impact others.

Ranging from the scientists that worked on developing a vaccine, to things as simple as the engineers that created the games you’ve been playing for the past year. STEM occupations have greatly impacted and helped people endure the struggles of the pandemic. However, these people in STEM related careers are going to continue to impact our lives greatly after the pandemic, and possibly even more than they are right now. Scientists and big companies that created and/or studied the new corona-virus vaccines that have been used by the public will continue to develop scientific advancements for the future. These scientists will be using the new vaccines to predict future illnesses and mutations from the original coronavirus pandemic to prevent further infections. This research would also help in observing the long lasting effects that those that have contracted COVID-19 have, and what can be done for these peoples, in addition to people that contract similar illnesses in the future. Yet scientists aren't the only ones that are helping us stay safe and healthy post-pandemic. Engineers are doing much more than thought as well. With the increased amount of realization towards how unsanitary life was before COVID-19 interrupted our daily routines, big corporations are going to start being more cautious of how they handle their service. One of these things include more artificial intelligence being created and used for specific purposes in jobs that would normally deal with people touching lots of things and the possible spread of bacteria. In addition to artificial intelligence, self serving is going to be much more common in restaurants and fast food places to avoid hand-to-hand contact and the further spreading of germs between customers and servants. The engineers that work on technology and programming skills like artificial intelligence and self serving machines make doing daily tasks, some being necessary, much more sanitary. STEM related fields and careers have been in much more demand the more we turn to technology and advancements in science and engineering, that the pandemic has made us all realize. But the post-pandemic world is going to have an even larger increase in a demand for these jobs and we will see an even more apparent direct impact in our lives from these careers.

“Acuéstate a dormir, ya es tarde.” Three in the morning, and I still hadn't even showered or eaten dinner. My mind was only set on one thing: finishing a project for the Science National Honor Society at my school. The project consisted of designing and describing a plant inspired invention that could solve any issue of my choice. I chose creating a station with several hydroponic gardens with planted sunflowers to phytoremediate the toxins from runoff water, before reaching the ocean. This invention would not only prevent the harm done to coral reefs from the pesticides and fertilizers of runoff water, but could also be adapted to be used in places like Flint, Michigan, where the water is heavily contaminated with metals and chemicals that people regularly ingest. I had been working on this project for about a month prior, and the deeper I dived in, the more my mind became peaked with interests in this topic. While this project further intensified my interests in biology, I had already developed an admiration and curiosity towards biology and conservation. Living in South Florida, surrounded by rich vegetation, helped create a wave of appreciation for nature and its inhabitants. Overtime, this appreciation manifested itself as I began to take part in local science related events. However the more I learned, the more I realized the harsh realities of the environment. From constantly observing organisms around me being announced as endangered, to seeing the consequences of ignorance towards ecosystems and habitats, I understood my passion and envisioned a future in biology. The previously mentioned activity allowed me to dip my toes into what working in a biology related career would be like. I felt like I had a direct impact in the issues I had been witnessing first hand for so long. To some, this project may have seemed bothersome, but for me it was empowering. I was fully submerged. This experience went on to influence me more. After receiving feedback in this highly competitive competition, I realized the impact I could make with a biology degree, and set a goal for myself to complete at least a bachelor's degree in biological science and pursue a career in this topic. Getting a biology degree would open a vast ocean of new possibilities for me, possibilities that I didn't have before. Growing up in a hispanic household with immigrant parents that didn't get an education past high school meant I had to pave the way creating future opportunities even if it meant struggling to get there. A biology degree is a perfect way to do just that. Not only would it benefit me and my interests, but I know that earning a diploma in a biology degree is the flow of a current I need to push me in the right direction of impact and change. Once acquiring my college diploma for studying biology, I will then be headed towards working at a laboratory as a marine biologist. Through this profession I plan to be working not only in the lab, but also in field work researching coral reefs and endangered marine animals in need of the most help. Eventually, I aspire to create my own non profit in the future dealing with oceanic issues working in creating solutions to restore coral reefs and deep ocean life. Still three in the morning, I yelled back to my mother “tengo que terminar mi proyecto!” To her, this is just another assignment, but to me it's a step towards my dreams, and I was reaching for my dreams of making a career out of biology like a tidal wave.