I've been infatuated with the natural sciences since I was a young girl. I was nurtured by my parents and their desire for me to explore the outdoors, read non-fiction books about animals, and spend time at the local Sam Noble natural history museum. However, my interests in science have become fixated on the field of evolutionary biology and anthropology. My deepest desire is to earn a PhD degree in evolutionary biology so that I can go on to instruct at the collegiate level. In order to accomplish this monumental but exciting goal, I will first need to surmount the more relevant feat of attending an undergraduate program with intense, world-class research infrastructure. I intend to research evolutionary biology with an integrative perspective, studying the genome, organisms, and entire ecosystems. I also would like to research the importance of biodiversity, which is a driving factor of evolution and a key preservative of life on earth. It is important to me that I am immersed in an intensive research program because I believe that it is imperative to develop the necessary analytical skills in fields such as ecology and organismal evolution. In addition to participating in passionate research on a daily basis during my undergraduate experience, I dream of being able to study abroad so I can more fully immerse myself in the environment of places that I have never visited. For example, the unmatched biodiversity of flora and fauna present in East Asia are particularly enticing to me. A problem that I am passionate about is the preservation of natural ecosystem services and the reestablishment of harmony between humankind and the natural world. As we continue to navigate the Information Age, we are faced with the responsibility of repairing the damage we have done to rainforests, the atmosphere, the oceans, and so many more spheres of the natural world and I long to be at the forefront of this effort. An impending question relevant to my pursuit of environmental conservation is: How can humans learn from the long-established scientific principles of sustainability exhibited by planet Earth over millions of years? In other words, what systems have already been established naturally by our planet in order to preserve the vitality of the greatest amount of organisms and biomes? In college, I will explore these questions by employing a double major of Anthropology and Biology. By being a biology-anthropology double major, I would be able to study the history of the relationship between humankind and the landscapes they inhabit, which I believe would reveal important lessons about the roles of humans as stewards of the environment. It is absolutely imperative that universities across the globe facilitate the education of environmental science, because we as a species must muster the brightest, most nuanced team of scientists to address the problem of the degradation of the earth and its inhabitants. Not only will this endeavor preserve the planet itself for years to come, but also the innumerable plants and animals living with us. Perhaps most importantly, the lives that have been undermined by the plunder of the natural world, namely the minority groups experiencing financial devastation in many countries, will be vastly improved. I strongly believe that a scholarship like this will help me pay for my education and in turn play a role in fixing these problems.

I am a survivor of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and anorexia. As a child, I grew up undeniably sensitive. My parents tended to my anxious and inquisitive disposition by enrolling me in summer reading programs and a slew of other extracurriculars to alleviate some of my anxiety. While my parents were incredibly nurturing and caring, this proved to be just short of sufficient "treatment". My anxiety developed into full-blown depression, which crescendoed into my first suicide attempt in 5th grade. Whether it was due to biological causes such as lack of serotonin or social factors such as lack of friends, my depression was exacerbated by the throes of middle school, in which I attempted to commit suicide for the second time. Luckily, I was young and stupid enough to fail at properly executing the act of suicide, so I survived. Fast forward to sophomore year of high school, in which I turned to starving myself as a form of ostensible control and meaning. However, the prolonged starvation not only gnawed away at my muscle tissue, but also at my willingness to live. Anorexia, for me, was yet another attempt at suicide, albeit indirect. Thus, I was admitted into a treatment center where I was weight-restored. Upon my release from the hospital, I was required to undergo months, which turned into years, of therapy. Now I am a senior in high school getting ready to graduate, and my mental strength is more fortified than it has ever been, thanks to therapy and a strong support system from my family and online community. My journey with the co-morbid diagnoses of anxiety, depression and anorexia has not been easy, and is by no means over. However, I am incredibly passionate about alleviating some of the crippling pain from the lives of others, no matter the mental battle they're fighting. With the help of my college education, I will develop a research program designed to effectively seek out those who are struggling with mental illness so that they can join communities based on solidarity in the fight for mental health visibility and awareness.

In kindergarten, I decided to talk back to my teacher. It was nearing the end of our first semester, and the class Christmas party was in full swing. Naturally, one of our festive activities as a class was to conjointly assemble a Nativity set. Under the autocratic eye of our teacher, Mrs. Buchanan, all thirteen of us swarmed around the juice-stained rainbow show-and-tell mat. Later, I overheard Mrs. Buchanan gently scolding a student for attempting to fit a piece where it shouldn’t have gone. “Silly Grace,” she chided. “Don’t you know that square pegs will never fit into round holes?” My seven-year-old brain scurried to come up with a retort, for I was absolutely fed up with my teacher’s semester of transgressions. “You’re wrong, Mrs. Buchanan,” I said a little too emphatically. “What if the diagonal of the square is smaller than the diameter of the circle? Wouldn’t it just be like throwing a piece of toast through a basketball hoop, then?” This was the earliest occasion that I can remember displaying my innate contemplativeness to the outside world. Despite the fact that I ended up scoring my first time-out and a parental lecture on the van ride home, this was perhaps the most enthralling and gratifying experience of my early childhood. But why? Why did I find such solace in being openly defiant? Over my adolescent years I have ruminated on this question exhaustively, yet I’ve found no logical answer. It’s hard to explain an instinct, a calling. Perhaps the best I can do is tell the story. This ingrained, deeply analytical side of me has burgeoned throughout my life. Practically, it has helped me excel in my studies, to earn high marks and keep a spotless transcript. Less practically, but vastly more important, it has propelled me towards a life of inquisitiveness, entailing sleepless nights spent preparing for Advanced Placement exams and standardized tests; taking 17 online courses (courtesy of Harvard’s free classes) over subjects ranging from Contemporary Chinese Literature to the Fundamentals of Neuroscience. It would be unfair to ignore the catalysts I’ve had along the way, however. My parents had an indelible effect on my scholarly achievements (my father, a poet/professor of literature/editor; my mother a war refugee and immigrant from El Salvador). They vowed to cultivate interesting and educated adults out of their three young girls because they themselves had to individually seek out their own extended educations. Consequently, from a young age, I have seen the sphere of inquiry as a privilege, a supernatural endowment: something far more sacred than I could have found on a Sunday morning. I say all this to come to the simple conclusion that I have an insatiable appetite for wisdom, and that this perpetual famine of my intellect will carry me along a lifelong journey of learning, growing, and inquiry, no doubt being enriched by my collegiate career. This appetite translates into the desire to teach others, which meant an inexorably fulfilling career as an educator.

A problem that I am passionate about is the preservation of natural ecosystem services and the reestablishment of harmony between humankind and the natural world. As we continue to navigate the Information Age, we are faced with the responsibility of repairing the damage we have done to rainforests, the atmosphere, the oceans, and so many more spheres of the natural world and I long to be at the forefront of this effort. An impending question relevant to my pursuit of environmental conservation is: How can humans learn from the long-established scientific principles of sustainability exhibited by planet Earth over millions of years? In other words, what systems have already been established naturally by our planet in order to preserve the vitality of the greatest amount of organisms and biomes? In college, I would explore these questions by employing a double major of Anthropology and Biology. By being a biology-anthropology double major, I would be able to study the history of the relationship between humankind and the landscapes they inhabit, which I believe would reveal important lessons about the roles of humans as stewards of the environment. It is absolutely imperative that universities across the globe facilitate the education of environmental science, because we as a species must muster the brightest, most nuanced team of scientists to address the problem of the degradation of the earth and its inhabitants. Not only will this endeavor preserve the planet itself for years to come, but also the innumerable plants and animals living with us. Perhaps most importantly, the lives that have been undermined by the plunder of the natural world, namely the minority groups experiencing financial devastation in many countries, will be vastly improved. I strongly believe that a scholarship like this will help me play a role in fixing these problems. In order to raise environmental awareness, I use my passion for sustainability to fuel my artistic flame. Consequently, I paint beautiful landscapes to highlight the pristine beauty of the natural world in order to inspire a ubiquitous appreciation for the earth. With this scholarship, I will be able to use it in aiding my college education, which will help me to eventually become a global leader in environmental sustainability.

A problem that I am passionate about is the preservation of natural ecosystem services and the reestablishment of harmony between humankind and the natural world. As we continue to navigate the Information Age, we are faced with the responsibility of repairing the damage we have done to rainforests, the atmosphere, the oceans, and so many more spheres of the natural world and I long to be at the forefront of this effort. An impending question relevant to my pursuit of environmental conservation is: How can humans learn from the long-established scientific principles of sustainability exhibited by planet Earth over millions of years? In other words, what systems have already been established naturally by our planet in order to preserve the vitality of the greatest amount of organisms and biomes? In college, I would explore these questions by employing a double major of Anthropology and Biology. By being a biology-anthropology double major, I would be able to study the history of the relationship between humankind and the landscapes they inhabit, which I believe would reveal important lessons about the roles of humans as stewards of the environment. It is absolutely imperative that universities across the globe facilitate the education of environmental science, because we as a species must muster the brightest, most nuanced team of scientists to address the problem of the degradation of the earth and its inhabitants. Not only will this endeavor preserve the planet itself for years to come, but also the innumerable plants and animals living with us. Perhaps most importantly, the lives that have been undermined by the plunder of the natural world, namely the minority groups experiencing financial devastation in many countries, will be vastly improved. I strongly believe that the Women In STEM scholarship will help me play a role in fixing these problems

A problem that I am passionate about is the preservation of natural ecosystem services and the reestablishment of harmony between humankind and the natural world. As we continue to navigate the Information Age, we are faced with the responsibility of repairing the damage we have done to rainforests, the atmosphere, the oceans, and so many more spheres of the natural world and I long to be at the forefront of this effort. An impending question relevant to my pursuit of environmental conservation is: How can humans learn from the long-established scientific principles of sustainability exhibited by planet Earth over millions of years? In other words, what systems have already been established naturally by our planet in order to preserve the vitality of the greatest amount of organisms and biomes? In college, I would explore these questions by employing a double major of Anthropology and Biology. By being a biology-anthropology double major, I would be able to study the history of the relationship between humankind and the landscapes they inhabit, which I believe would reveal important lessons about the roles of humans as stewards of the environment. It is absolutely imperative that universities across the globe facilitate the education of environmental science, because we as a species must muster the brightest, most nuanced team of scientists to address the problem of the degradation of the earth and its inhabitants. Not only will this endeavor preserve the planet itself for years to come, but also the innumerable plants and animals living with us. Perhaps most importantly, the lives that have been undermined by the plunder of the natural world, namely the minority groups experiencing financial devastation in many countries, will be vastly improved. I strongly believe that the Rosemarie STEM scholarship will help me play a role in fixing these problems.