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Hobbies and interests
Writing
Music
Veterinary Medicine
Botany
Crocheting
Reading
Piano
Guitar
Electric Guitar
Gardening
Movies And Film
Animals
Birdwatching
Spanish
Reading
Academic
Adult Fiction
Classics
Science Fiction
Cultural
Environment
Fantasy
Folklore
Literary Fiction
I read books daily
Ella Boehme
865
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/screenshot20240531at4deac15e6a1924aac8e003fa4afabd893.webp)
Ella Boehme
865
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
I am from the small town of Bishop in the Eastern Sierra Nevada of California, and currently I am studying biology Santa Barbara City College with plans to transfer to UC Santa Cruz to study botany. I currently work in native plant restoration, as well as volunteering at a marine mammal rescue in Gaviota.
Aside from the biological sciences, I am also a musician (mostly playing piano and guitar), an avid reader, and have a love of creative writing. I often submit to literary journals and have been published twice (hopefully more in the future!)
Education
Santa Barbara City College
Associate's degree programMajors:
- Biology, General
- Film/Video and Photographic Arts
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Botany/Plant Biology
- Forestry
- Zoology/Animal Biology
Career
Dream career field:
Environmental Services
Dream career goals:
Wildlife Biologist
Journalist
Eastern Sierra NOW2021 – 20221 year
Arts
Bishop Jazz Combo
Music2022 – PresentVelvet Vagabond
Music2021 – 2023Eastern Sierra Weddings
Photography2017 – 2021
Public services
Volunteering
Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care — Rehabilitation worker2020 – 2022Volunteering
Channel Islands Marine Wildlife Institute — Rehabilitation worker2024 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Philanthropy
FMA College Scholarship
It seemed like the rain would never end; each weekend, a new storm rolled in. Just a few years ago we had been dreaming of an end to the drought, but throughout California, rivers broke their banks and flooded into the streets. As a student at Santa Barbara City College, we were not spared from the downpour; classes were canceled and roads were closed due to the floods. And unfortunately for future citizens of California, this is a problem that will only worsen as the years march on.
California will continue to face rapidly increasing flood risks as climate change fuels stronger storms and heavier rainfall. Scientists from the University of California Los Angeles estimate that damage costs and deaths as a result of flooding could double and even quadruple in some areas of the state. Along with the important tasks of flood management such as maintaining levees and dams, an older solution could assist in quelling the floods. Rather than implementing new infrastructure, we can literally go back to our roots - by utilizing the natural resource of native plants.
Native plants can be surprisingly impactful when it comes to flood management and reduction. A patch of native grasses may look innocuous, but these plants have developed root systems that improve the soil’s ability to retain water and therefore reduce floods. Additionally, deep root systems prevent erosion - an issue that showcases itself in California, with houses and roads tumbling into the ocean.
As well as being a viable part of the solution to flooding, native plants are integral to their endemic ecosystems; they promote necessary biodiversity and are much more low-cost and low-maintenance than the non-native plants usually planted in urban or suburban areas.
As a botany student with a passion for fighting climate change and environmental collapse, I believe that in protecting our natural world, the tools we need to move in the right direction are already available to us. In my education and career, I want to work for solutions that allow us to care for our ecosystems as well as ourselves. As we work towards healing the many ways in which we have damaged our planet through the process of global warming, it is essential for us to realize that we are not separate from nature, and that the only way to live sustainably is to embrace and care for nature and humanity as a unified whole.