I am a queer, non-binary student athlete in Florida, which can be an overwhelming mix in times like this. I first started questioning my sexuality when I was 12 or 13 and in middle school, when suddenly the Covid pandemic hit and everything changed. Instead of being able to see my friends in person and explore this new part of my life and identity, I had to be alone in my room and turn to the internet to see if there were people who felt how I felt. While the internet was a big help in finding community, it also brought negative thoughts and made me question if my feelings were valid.  With many late-night rants to my best friend, I was finally able to accept that I was queer, and a few months later came out to my parents. I would not come out to the rest of my family until about 2 years later. I did it with an Instagram and Facebook post on the first day of pride month, then turned off my phone and went to sleep afraid of possible reactions. It ended up being the best decision I could have made because, with the support of family and friends, I was able to then begin to explore something that is such a huge part of who I am and my queer journey, my gender.  While gender is just a mere concept that people don’t need to conform to, I still struggle with the idea of wanting to put myself into a box to make my existence and experiences easier for others to understand. On the night of my 17th birthday, my mom texted me saying she knew I identified as non-binary and that she loved me. Today I am 18 and am openly non-binary and queer, but even with the support of my mom, I am sometimes still scared to talk about it openly, since it can feel like exposing such a deep part of myself that most people do not understand. The exploration of my gender has allowed me to be more myself than I ever was. I have begun to dress as I want, no matter what other people think, be more loud about my opinions, and be more open about my identities as I continue to explore them throughout my life.  Being a queer student athlete can be a struggle when your all-girls soccer team is talking badly about the person with short hair on the other team while I stand next to them with my short, dyed hair, and am the only openly queer person on the team. I was very self-conscious when I was around them since I was obviously the one who stood out compared to the rest, especially when it came to “girl talk”.  I eventually found community in my cross-country team (boys and girls) and they became a group where I could be openly queer without judgement and I had coaches and teammates I could talk to about anything.  Finding a community of people in sports, school, or life in general, where you can be yourself is such an important part of expressing yourself without having to change your interests or dreams in order to “fit in”. My queer journey is never ending, but I am now excited to see where it leads me when I was once scared to look inside.

Going into high school, I knew I wanted to run track since I loved to run and ran 5ks with my family. My freshman year, I tried out and got the exciting news that I made the track team! As I went through the season, I quickly realized how much I love this sport and the people that I met. My new teammates and coaches encouraged me to join cross-country, and while I was reluctant to try it at first, it would end up being the best decision ever. As track ended, cross-country conditioning began. The tight-knit team quickly took me in and I started to look forward to those hot summer morning practices. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Everyone was so hard-working and determined, but also some of the funniest, welcoming people I have ever met. The coaches got to know us not only as athletes but as people. The connection boosted our confidence in ourselves as athletes, while they also taught us life lessons about hard work and reaching for the stars. As I went through high school, I started to improve year after year and I started to dedicate more time to running. In my junior and senior years, I ran in the regional and state championships for cross-country, and the regional championships for track. Senior year, I became captain of the girls' team. While I was nervous at first, I loved being someone new runners could look up to and come to for encouragement. I learned how to time manage the morning of a race to make sure everyone knew the course, ate, stretched, drank water, and were confident in their ability to race and have fun. Cross-country is not only a physical challenge, but also mentally, when you want to run a new personal best or score for the team. My years on cross-country became an important part of who I am today, learning to balance my own challenges while ensuring that the rest of my team grew throughout the season and kept their love of the sport. Once the season ended, I realized I needed to figure out college. I knew that my dream was a career in marine biology. Since I was little, I have loved marine biology and all the science and knowledge that we can learn from it. It's been a big passion of mine for as long as I can remember. That career, though, can be a difficult one to pursue and be successful in, so for a while I was reluctant about whether I could do it. Luckily, one of my cross-country coaches was also my marine science teacher in high school, and he encouraged me to follow my dreams and passions. He reminded me that if it is something that I want, I can work hard and achieve it. The connections I made throughout high school due to cross-country are endless. The people I met have become some of my best friends and like family to me. Cross-country taught me how to face challenges as big as a state championship and as small as pre-race anxiety. I would not be the person I am today, with the ambition and drive I have, without the lessons that my coaches have taught me through a sport as simple as running. I know the things I learned during cross-country about leadership and teamwork will someday pay off, not only in my personal life, but in my career as well.

Since I was a little kid, I have always loved science. For Christmas, I always wanted those kids' science experiments and I loved everything about science. My mom and grandpa got me into marine biology when I was little and always encouraged my love of nature and the ocean. I always dreamed of being a dolphin trainer (as many kids do), but then I discovered the science and biology behind it all and realized that marine biology research was what I truly dreamed of doing when I grew up. As I got older, I became unsure of whether marine biology was a realistic career option, but throughout high school I met people who encouraged my dreams of marine biology research and I realized that marine biology is exactly what I wanted to pursue. And even though I know it will be hard to make it come true, it's a dream I'm willing to fight for.  Representation in STEM for women is scarice, but I want to expand that representation for future generations. Besides representing women, I also want to be a voice for queer women and people in STEM. Growing up it was rare to see women, let alone openly queer women, be the ones out in the field getting dirty working on research projects. Representation is crucial to inspiring more young girls to love science and get involved, especially in a male-dominated field. With all the changes happening to our planet, young activists are more important than ever, but that can only happen if there are people who are encouraging these young scientists and encouraging them to speak out and save our planet.  A goal of mine is to create a safe space for women and queer people to work together in marine field research, so not only will we be saving the ocean, but also saving each other. Community is key when it comes to getting people involved and encouraging people to want to help save the planet, especially when it seems like a daunting task right now. A team of ambitious, hard-working, and determined women would have such a big impact on not only the current generation, but also future generations. This group would work to teach people of all ages about our ocean and why it is so important that we work quickly to save it while we still can. Educating future generations about not only marine life, but also about how important it is that women stick together and can work together to accomplish anything they can dream of.

I am a queer, non-binary student-athlete in Orlando, Florida. I am going to college to major in Marine Biology, which has been one of my biggest passions since I was a little kid. While I grew up in a queer safe and supportive family, I still never saw or met people like me until I was in high school. Friendship through the LGBTQ+ community quickly became so important to me through high school, since they were a group of people who I could relate to as we all began to truly understand that part of ourselves. I find today that all of my friends are vocal allies or other queer people. I ran cross country, track and played soccer during my time in high school, which can be a challenging thing for nonbinary/trans kids in Florida, especially when you are the only nonbinary person on your all-girls soccer team. Representation in the two things I love most (sports and science) were scarice and often fought against by the Florida government. Representation in STEM is more crucial now than ever given that there are so many people trying to erase trans and queer people in the United States and around the world. Getting into a marine biology career can be difficult for anyone, but especially for non-men looking to get a living wage in this environmentally important job. Growing up, my mom and I would always watch shows about the earth and nature like shark week, which helped spark my curiosity about sharks and helping others understand them. As I have gotten older and started exploring my gender and sexuality, I find that I relate to sharks more and more, being that most people see sharks in a light that does not truly represent who they are. Many people think sharks are killers who don’t have emotion, but in reality they are highly intelligent with a wide range of knowledge and emotions and are a huge part of the marine ecosystem. Many people think LGBTQ+ people are trying to “influence your kids” and make them trans or gay when that is far from the truth. Sharks keep the balance in marine ecosystems, but they are being killed at alarming rates and many are close to being endangered. My goal is to be able to be the representation that the new generation of girls, queer, and trans kids can look up to and know that there is a place for them in this male-dominated field and educate them on how to help sharks and the ocean as a whole. Finding community is so important for everyone, and it is needed more than ever for young LGBTQ+ kids as they face this scary time. I would love to be able to lead a group of LGBTQ+ people and allies in a shark research group that can help save shark populations and learn more about how to save our planet. Without sharks and LBGTQ+ people, our world would be dull.

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable”. That’s what my coaches tell me during a hard cross-country workout or yell at me while I’m racing. Hearing that when I feel like I can’t go faster or do another rep helps me remember what all my training is for. Growth. I find that I start to hear that simple but impactful saying outside of XC as well, in my day-to-day life and school. It’s something that seems so simple but in reality, helps me grow as a person and athlete. I'm not the loudest person on the team by far so when I became XC girls’ team captain I knew I would have to step outside of my comfort zone. Having watched my friends be captain before me, I knew being captain came with having to push my teammates even when as their friend I wanted to let them rest. I had to learn to always say yes to extra reps even when I didn’t feel like it to lead as an example and inspiration for my teammates. Having to balance morning practice, afternoon practice and school every day can be a lot, but I know it will pay off in the long run. “We are training you for life, not just running”. Hearing my coach say that made all of the speeches before a race come flooding back as I realized all of the things they have taught me over the years. Learning to push for bigger goals every race and achieving things I never could have imagined being able to accomplish. Those 100-degree practice days or early summer conditioning have taught me self-discipline even when it seems easier to skip or snooze my alarm. Starting senior year most of my friends avoided all of the unnecessary math classes and as someone who can struggle in math, I wanted to as well. When my counselor put me in AP pre-calc but told me if I wanted to achieve my goals of pursuing XC in college it would help me drastically, I took on the challenge. While it’s something I did not plan on having to take my senior year, I knew the feeling of being able to achieve my goals and finishing the course would pay off. Becoming my best self has so many levels that I hope to uncover throughout my life. As a senior in high school, I am striving to not only put my best into my sport, but also into being the best friend, teammate, student, and person I can be. I hope to leave an impact and foundation for my teammates that they can be proud to be a part of as I graduate. Without becoming comfortable being uncomfortable how will we ever see our full potential and growth?

A song's meaning changes as you change too. A huge reason why I have loved Billie Eilish and her music since I was a little 12-year-old kid is because not only was I growing up and discovering myself, but she was too. Her music over the years is a reflection of what it’s like to grow up being a little different and not caring. To see someone who doesn’t dress girly every day or care what others think about it. My favorite songs never stay the same no matter how old or new they are. Different phases of my life can be represented by different songs of hers as I grow up and discover who I am. Idontwannabeyouanymore represents 12-year-old me just going into middle school and finding Billie’s music at the same time. I dressed myself in makeup and cute shorts and crop tops to fit in with the other girls even though it didn’t feel like me. That song was always there on days when I just wanted to cry and embrace all the emotions I was feeling. I look back and now knowing that I’m trans, that song holds even more meaning to me. All the good girls go to hell, a song about climate change. While this might not seem like it has anything to do with finding myself, it does. It was my song on repeat as I started to learn more about myself, my views, advocating for what I believe in, and learning more about my identity and sexuality all at the same time. To be able to see an artist who can make deep meaningful songs about something so crucial to her and others. An artist and young woman who wasn’t afraid to say what needed to be said. Getting older. As I enter my senior year of high school this song has seemed to jump into my life in so many ways. My last first day of school, my last first cross country meet, senior sunrise with all of my friends, turning 18 and registering to vote and finally being able to voice those views and beliefs I’ve been wanting to advocate for all these years. This song has struck me in the heart and made me realize that I really am getting older but I am also learning to love myself, be myself, and embrace who I truly am and want to be. Billie is an artist who has been judged and hated just for being herself and an outspoken woman who represents our generation and the future. A queer artist who can be that sprinkle of music representation in modern music and media. I think the reason why I’ve been a fan for so long now is because I can see myself in her and her music, unlike any other artist.

Our oceans are in danger and if we do not act now we will lose everything that lives in it. That is one of the many reasons why I want to study oceanic health. Ocean and environmental advocates are more important than ever with climate change rapidly destroying our reefs and therefore hurting other species as well. My goal is to study marine biology and conservation to then teach others about the importance of the ocean while also learning more about its species. Teaching kids that a good shark is not a dead shark and how important they are to our ecosystem. A big part of protecting marine species is knowing more about them. With sharks being killed for sport, bycatching, or for their fins, studying sharks and shark behavior is a big goal in my career dreams. Sharks are one of the most important species in the marine ecosystem and without them, the ecosystem would crumble. Every day, sharks are misunderstood for being themselves and simply living, and so are queer people. Being a non-binary and bisexual student, representation is crucial in all fields, especially STEM, where jobs are often male-dominated, making this scholarship very important to me. It is important that the future generations can see themselves in any field. I know it is important to me as well. Seeing queer people in marine biology fields will not only be inspiring to see someone like them but also inspire them to want to help the ocean as well. Marine biology has always been a safe space for me to relate to others about something we are passionate about despite any differences we might have. I want that to be the case for the future scientists of the world who can find comfort in our oceans and how much there is to learn. While studying marine biology in college seems like a “dream career” or a “not realistic” goal, I strive to make that dream come true and have an impact on our ocean. With big goals of being able to be a voice for the ocean and future generations, this scholarship would greatly benefit me and help me pursue those goals. For some, the job of working long days and collecting data to help an ocean that is dying might seem pointless, but it is an important one. Someone has to take that dive into helping before it is too late, and I am passionate about that research and all it has to offer.