Hi! My name is Elsie Nast and I am a senior at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg, Virginia. I'm a big STEM nerd, I love books, and I'm really passionate about the environment. At school, I participate in our Honors Program, creating a project based on plastic pollution. Part of my project was to clean up 100 pounds of trash off the waterways of Virginia, which really gave me perspective on my passion. I will be majoring in Chemical Engineering in the fall, with an emphasis in Energy Studies. I want to attend college because getting this degree will help me get my foot through the door in the energy sector. I really want to revolutionize the way that we power our world and make clean energy more accessible. College will give me the necessary tools and qualifications to begin my work in this field. Coming from a small town like Williamsburg has its challenges. At times it can feel very isolating. But I had the fantastic opportunity to get involved in a church community that has been so fulfilling during my time in Virginia. I was lifted up by members around me and also was able to lift others up through volunteer work. My youth group went on a mission trip to Guatemala, where we were able to impact the community of San Lucas Toliman through new houses, a re-painted school, and community outreach. I also lead a small group for 7th grade girls. The Chapel has taught me that there is always an opportunity to show up for people. The feeling of being supported is incomparable, and I was blessed to have people that supported me every step of my journey in high school. Going into college, I want to make sure that I am being a kind, light in someone's life, paying it forward. I want to give back to my community on a global scale, as well as abroad. I hope to make the world a better place by trying to avert a climate crisis. College will start me on this path by teaching me the necessary skills for chemical engineering. With an engineering degree, I also hope to work to make people's lives better through initiatives such as Engineers without Borders, or a clean water project in developing countries. I've been so blessed, and I hope to be a blessing to other people, using my college education.

The world can be a rough place. There's a lot of problems - both in our homes, communities, countries, and globe. One problem that particularity stands out to me is climate change. Our world really suffers from a changing climate, and a lot of this can be chalked up to our energy use. We rely on fossil fuels to power our world, which is not sustainable, nor clean. I hope to change and revolutionize the energy sector, to make clean energy accessible, affordable, safe, and life-changing. I hope that it will foster a better enviornment, so that future generations can suceed on a healthy planet, and current generations can continue to work towards their dreams. My future educational goals are to earn my PhD in Chemical Engineering, with an emphasis area in Energy Studies. I hope that this will prepare me to go out into the world and begin to work in the energy sector. I have big goals for myself, and I want to really live life and feel like I made a difference in the world. Everyone needs Planet Earth, and there is no Planet B. I hope that by doing my part to save it, I will be touching the lives of everyone on Earth that depends on the envionrnment for not only surviving, but thriving. But I don't want to just use my education to work a job. I want to use other skills I learn at college to make a difference in other ways too. I hope to work with Engineers without Borders. I want to make clean water successful in developing countries, through volunteer work. I want to make engineering my way of giving back to the world that has given so much to me. I was supported and lifted up by teachers, parents, friends, coaches, and mentors. And with my future education, I want to be that person for someone else. All together, I'm excited for this next chapter of my life, where I hope to get a Chemical Engineering degree, pour into the lives of others, and enact change on a global scale. The world always needs more good, and I will do my very best to be a light wherever I can be. I hope to leave my mark on the world. I'm greatful for the people that have gotten me to where I am now, and I'm looking forward to continuing down this wonderful path called life!

I always thought mental health was invisible... until I saw it staring right back at me in the mirror. Up until this year, it wasn't something that I struggled with, or at least I thought. To me, it always seemed like something I was disconnected from, something that other people had to worry about, but not me. I had always been really successful at school. I was the kid who achieved straight A's, made it to states in swimming, changed club sports seamlessly, and scored high on every exam. Then my senior year hit, and it hit hard. While other people were celebrating the "lasts" of senior year, I couldn't concentrate on anything. My grades slipped, and I wasn't performing well at sports or at home. I got increasingly further behind and my motivation to catch up went along with it. After years of impeccable hard work, school clubs, volunteering, competing, academic accolades, I didn't understand why this was the moment I was failing. I was supposed to be in the best year of high school. The harsh reality that I had neglected my mental health caught up to me, and I experienced massive burnout. I never made the time to take care of my mental health, and although people asked how I was doing often, I don't think I really answered the question correctly. I didn't prioritize mental recovery or "me-time". I've reflected that because I didn't slow down enough from all my hard work to truly enjoy life, and make sure that all aspects of myself were okay, I didn't have the mental energy to continue my full-steam ahead attitude senior year. This mistake cost me precious time as I tried to fix my poor academic performance. I was failing two classes, and couldn't seem to find the willpower to get my grades up. My poor mental health negatively impacted my academic performance, and it was heartbreaking for me, especially since it felt like I was watching it all happen from the outside. Day after day, I woke up, went to school and practiced, then came back. The minutes bled together, and it was like watching someone else's life play out in front of me; I couldn't even recognize myself. My personal life took a hit, when I had to turn down friends' offers to get together to do school work. And even when I did go, I wasn't fully present, my mind off somewhere else. It was worse with my family. The burnout came with high levels of anxiety and really unreliable emotions. I regrettably often lost my temper with them, making an already bad situation worse. I can't go back in time, but I have made solid changes for the remainder of my senior year. I'm back to all A's, no worries, but I read more, take more walks and run outside in the sunshine, drink more water, get more sleep, avoid screens when I can, and am more honest with myself about how I am really doing. I love yoga and music and a good laugh. My favorite mental recharges are quality talks with my grandma. Less than perfect isn't failure, it's a beautiful opportunity. I've learned I need to prioritize all of me, not just my resume.