One shovel and two hands–that was all I had on this brisk Saturday morning. Each strike shifted the hardened soil of the Earth directly below me and made this hole grow deeper and deeper. The birds chirping, the roaring sound of cars passing by, the glare of the sun off the helmet of another volunteer’s helmet. All was well in this community tree-planting event in this bare San Jose municipal park. I knew that each shovel of dirt, pounding of the wooden posts that would support the young tree, and each bucket of water carried to water the tree would all be worth it in the end. I used to always garden in the small plot of dirt on the side of my mobile home when I was younger. I loved seeing the lush life and the development of beauty in the flowers that would bloom from the collected bean seeds that I sowed into the garden. Now, I was volunteering my time on my Saturday mornings planting trees for neighborhood parks that I would never see again. As the years flew by, my interest in environmental science grew, especially during my sophomore year, as I was taking the AP Environmental Science course offered at my school while researching climate change and human pollution for my AP Seminar class. These two courses exposed me to the harsh reality of the world around me. It was burning. I started to learn about how climate change was affecting the Earth and how I was contributing. I grew to a realization that this was never going to stop, and even though I was just one person, I made a world of difference. As I worked through the coursework for AP Environmental Science I was slowly starting to get more deeply involved with local community service organizations and I found myself working outside with trash cleanups and tree plantings more often. The Earth and its intertwined systems are something that I find especially intriguing, and how Mother Nature has maintained the quality of Earth for the 4.5 billion years that Earth has even been around. This topic amazed me and it continues to amaze me as I delve into my junior year. I devoted my first semester of junior year to continuing this interest in environmental science, and I decided to write my AP Research thesis on the topic of water resilience in the face of climate change. I also took a Plants and Human Welfare class at a local community college as part of my dual enrollment program offered at my school. I hope to further this interest in environmental science by pursuing a four-year institution with a focus on environmental engineering or a related field, where I can devote my time to ground-breaking work on sustainability and developing a green future. One day, I can look back and see my work from the first tree I planted to the resilient future of Earth that I plan on working towards.

My name is Hieu Nguyen and I am currently a high school junior attending Yerba Buena High School in San Jose. I hope to attend a four-year institution after graduating high school and, I plan on majoring in Environmental Sciences or Environmental Engineering. I think that everyone deserves a place to learn and grow, a place without hate or discrimination, which is why I actively strive to make the world a better place. I think I embody selflessness throughout by being open and able to communicate with. Communication is something that is overlooked in this modern age of technology as everyone is always glued to their screens, which leads to the majority of people being too busy to socialize and learn about other people. I think that it is important to communicate to learn about other people and to hear their struggles to build knowledge that can empower you. Francis Bacon once said "Knowledge is power," and I completely agree with that. Knowing and hearing out voices of the community can be something that can make you a selfless individual. Helping others is also a trait of mine that embodies selflessness. I am currently an active member of my high school's chapter of the National Honor Society, and I am always out and volunteering every Saturday. No matter the task, I always have a smile on my face and the mentality that I am making a difference. Many of these volunteering events are environmentally related, which sparked my passion for pursuing an education in the field of environmental science. I believe that we must leave the Earth a better place than when we found it, which is why I am a recurring volunteer at park cleanup days and tree plantings. Although the work is mostly manual labor, over time, the effects will be held. For example, I recently attended a tree planting in an underrepresented community that had no trees in this nice park. The story behind the park was that the people in the community were tired of asking the city for a place for their kids to enjoy, so they built their community area. The tree planting organization was requested, as some areas of this park needed shade. Even though the trees that we worked hard to plant were young and provided very little shade, it would take time to bloom and prosper, and in thirty years, those trees would cover a majority of the unshaded area of the park. I learned several lessons from these tree plantings that I volunteer at. The first lesson is that the effects of our work will be experienced later, and at a larger scale, so it is important to stay motivated and focus on the end goal and who we will be helping. Another lesson learned is that volunteering helps us grow to provide shade for others, just like the trees. Although we are small now, and we make little impact, as time passes, that feeling of service and compassion will grow and shape our morals as people in our modern society.

My name is Hieu Nguyen, and I am currently a high school junior at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose California. I plan on attending a four-year institution and majoring in Environmental Engineering or Environmental Science. I can understand how the new generation is being pushed to go back to the ways of the old, but in the scope of this changing world, it is just a different time. The Ode to Millennials-Gen Z text does highlight some problems created by the older generation which the newer generation is being pressured to fix. These problems all regard the economy, and this text also provides a parallel between the Great Depression and the current economic state of the nation. I would agree with the latter portion of this text, stating how the newer generation is accepting of these challenges, yet is moving forward with a good demeanor. I think it is important that people face adversity, and while our generation may not be the most tolerant of this adversity, diamonds are formed over many years of heat and pressure, which speaks volumes about how our generation will turn out. I think this text can also be used in the grand scope of climate change and the deteriorating Earth. Starting at the Industrial Revolution and even coming on strong until now, many people have been loose with their environmental impact and people have been buying into a culture of pollution and environmental degradation. It is important to understand that our problems cannot wait to be solved tomorrow. As the older generation has set up problems for our generation, we are essentially repeating the cycle, but in climate change. Many people born before Millennials will commonly reject the idea of climate change and global warming. People should know that global warming is affecting everyone on this planet, and it will start affecting the subsequent generations even more. The time to act is now, or else we will be creating the opposite of the "Greatest Generation." I hope to become an environmental engineer in the future after attending a four-year institution, and I hope that I can be one of those people working against climate change. I don't want to see the generation after mine suffer, thus I am going down a path that will ameliorate the environmental disturbances that will happen to our current society. I think that adversity in our generation is something that should be used as a motivational factor and that people should strive to be better than the last generation, rather than creating problems for the next one to solve. We should be proactive and work together towards creating an Earth that is a platform for equality and making a difference.

Socrates once said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” I resonate with this, but I also can see the other viewpoint of this quote. Wisdom should be amplified in our understanding of the things around us. It is by truly understanding how the systems of life and knowledge work that we are wise. My name is Hieu Nguyen, and I am currently a high school junior enrolled at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, California. I plan on pursuing higher education at a four-year institution in the field of environmental science or environmental engineering. My dream is to one day give back to Mother Earth which has given so much to us. Our universe is quite a challenging concept to understand due to its sheer volume and infinite systems. One could parallel the universe to humans and ants–we are the ants in this situation, and the universe is the human world to us. This universe that has been around for approximately 13.8 billion years has to have raised many questions throughout the 300,000 years since the first homo sapiens on planet Earth. People have always been known to ask questions, but why must one wonder about the nature of our universe? I want to dive into a more specific field, and that is climate change on Earth. We are the only planet in our universe that we know can support life, and it gives me ideas on how life works on Planet Earth, and how nature supports us humans on such a delicate balance. In the face of recent climate change, scientists and researchers have now gone back in time to understand the tipping points of our planet, and how we can mitigate the effects of breaking them. What I find interesting is that it took humans up until the Earth started to heat up, and its effects started to hurt our societies, to start to study Earth’s systems and how we have tipped off the delicate carbon cycle balance that mediates all life on Earth. Understanding is knowledge in my opinion, and if I had the resources to learn anything that was out there, I would do so, and I would share that knowledge with those who are willing to learn. Understanding the nature of our universe is not a simple task, but with the proper motivations and work ethic, we as humans can make progress even if it is little by little. We cannot wait for a catastrophic event, one such as climate change, to happen, for us to start to understand how our universe functions and what is out there. I stress the environmental lens of this analysis because I think that it is important for us to not repeat our mistakes. We should take a systems approach to this and understand that every action we take has an impact. In the twenty-first century in which we live, the world is unpredictable at every corner. It takes a proactive approach and one with curiosity to truly learn about what is around us. It is also important that we work to better understand the nature of our universe to spark the natural curiosity that drives us humans. Curiosity without a goal is okay, and many of humanity's great inventions have stemmed from simply being curious and wondering the "who, what, when, where, and how" behind everything and anything. As a future college student especially, I see that curiosity drives innovation and innovation drives human progress. Understanding every focal point of our universe can potentially drive humans to heights that we have never been before. When faced with a task in front of us that can seem impossible, we should never give up and we should learn just to learn. Painting a bigger picture is essentially beneficial because we can expand the boundaries of our knowledge. We can push our limits and learn to a point of exponential growth for our societies. As a human population, we should motivate one another and work with each other towards driving human progress forward. All with the goal of curiosity and passion in mind. We should foster a better understanding of our universe to turn regular people into scholars and to give them something to work towards. I believe that you need to paint a bigger picture to stretch your boundaries and expand your knowledge.

My name is Hieu Nguyen, and I am currently a high school junior at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, CA. I like to volunteer in the field of environmental services on my weekends, including trash pick-ups, tree plantings, and community workdays to clean up parks. I am also a Boy Scout, so I feel as if I am inclined to give back to the Earth that has given so much to us. So what lessons can be learned from volunteering at simple jobs that require little skill? I ask myself that question a lot as I question the impact that my volunteer work has as compared to other high schoolers breaking ground in medical research or undergoing internships with the city. What impact can I possibly have by pulling out weeds from behind a baseball field, planting a young tree at a desolate park or on an uninhabited sidewalk? Hope. That is what impact I can have by doing manual jobs such as that. When one comes to this clean park that is not overgrown with weeds, one will think and see what effort was put into cleaning the area. One will feel motivated to enjoy the amenities of that clean park once more. That young tree that was planted on that desolate sidewalk will grow to become a tall, grown tree that will provide shade for years to come. That's the impact that it has. many people underappreciate the value of hard work in this modern age, due to the environment that they were raised in. How can we change that though? How can we foster a community, even a world, of giving and compassion for others? Service. Service to others and service to self is essential in helping raise ourselves and the people around us. People can work and work, but it will only be meaningful if it ends up helping other people. My goal in life is to become an environmental scientist after graduating from a four-year institution. I also plan to give back to my local Boy Scout troop by becoming a volunteer adult leader. I hope to one day become that young tree that grows into a tall tree that provides shade for those beneath it. I hope to pioneer projects in the field of environmental science to continue to give back to Mother Earth. I can make a difference in the world if I believe that I can. All it starts with is digging that hole, putting that tree in, and watering it...to kickstart the growth of a new attitude that can be shared with others, one full of hope, service, and compassion.

Compassion and giving. That's what life is all about. Spending our time to help others can truly be the most valuable thing that anyone can offer, and the byproduct is this warm feeling inside of our bodies that makes us feel as if we truly made an impact. That's what life is all about. If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, one book that can truly impact their view of the world and the people around them, I would have everyone read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Now why would I have everyone read a children's book that has less than a full page's worth of words? Why would anyone want to read such a simple book that offers close to any information? Meaning I say. This book offers meaning to many feelings that we experience in life. Feelings such as love, joy, hope, compassion, and gratitude. Throughout this book, there is an apple tree that is always there to help this little boy, who grows up throughout the story. This apple tree can have many meanings, but I like to keep it simple, and I see it as those who help us. The compassion and care of the apple tree are shared by the boy, and he benefits from it throughout the entire story. The story ends with the boy, now an old man, sitting on the tree, and finally being reunited with the tree after many years. What can people learn from a lesson as simple as this? People can learn that helping others is something that should be done, regardless of receiving anything back. We should always show unconditional love to others, no matter who they are or how we know them. Service is something that gives us power, and acts of service can truly mend even the most broken of hearts. With that being said, everyone should read "The Giving Tree" do delve into a simple story, with such great meaning about happiness and compassion, and what it truly means to give to others.

My name is Hieu Nguyen, and I am currently a high school junior at Yerba Buena High School, a low-income neighborhood high school located in East Side San Jose, California. I hope to major in environmental science at a 4-year university and become an environmental scientist, or potentially even an environmental engineer. I have been very passionate about environmental science starting from a young age when I loved going outdoors with my Boy Scout Troop and even gardening at home. It is until recently, after taking AP Environmental Science that I have opened my eyes to the Earth that supports all of modern human life. I am currently taking AP Research, where my research project will delve into Earth's systems and explore the topic of water resilience in the face of climate change, and I hope that it will expand the current research discipline for those interested in climate change. I think that many people don't regard climate change as something that can have a big impact on their daily lives. I consider this the "science fiction" aspect of climate change. many people think that it is something that should not be regarded, and we should continue to live our unsustainable lifestyles because we aren't directly affected. This follows the mindset that someone will always be behind us to clean up our messes, but now, after seeing all the environmental catastrophes unfold such as the Australian and Hawaii wildfires caused by climate change-induced drought and the California atmospheric river leading to floods across the state, I am shocked at how we have reached a point of no return in the climate crisis. I aspire to become an environmental scientist or engineer, or simply work in the field of environmental science, as a researcher or even teacher, and I hope to make a change in the mentality and resilience of the people. By studying environmental science, I hope to educate those around me to start making an impact. I hope to also do research and publish my research to spread the word. My career aspiration is to make a positive impact on those around me and to help those people make a positive impact on the Earth around them. I think that it is important to understand that we can make a difference. We just need to work in harmony with one another and join hands to see change. So why do I hope to become an environmental scientist? A wise friend once told me: "Become the change that you want to see."

I aspire to inspire posterity, to help the community, to encourage ingenuity, to provide opportunity, and to help create unity.

My name is Hieu Nguyen. I am currently a junior at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, California. I hope to major in the field of environmental science or engineering, and I started early with my passion for environmental science by volunteering at cleanups and tree plantings. Now one challenge that I have faced was really in my sophomore year last year. During that time, I was beginning my interest in environmental science, so I took AP Environmental Science. Along with that, I was taking 3 other AP classes, including World History AP, AP Seminar, and AP Calculus AB. I was also taking a college readiness and career planning morning class with dual enrollment through the nearby Evergreen Valley College. Now, the context of my academic profile is followed by the fact that last year was coined as my "self-improvement year" by myself in my freshman year. This would be my biggest challenge throughout my high school years, as I was taking 8 classes, with 4 of them being Advanced Placement. My journey throughout last year changed me as a person, as I learned to manage my time and I learned how to talk to adults. The entire year was a challenge to me as I honestly did not think that I would keep up my straight A's and score well on the AP exams. Overcoming this yearlong challenge took much of my mental strength and I think that I maintained my composure with the support of many adults whom I talked through. I learned more about their personal lives as well. I learned how difficult it is to be a teacher at my school, with the kids in the special educational program being their only link to teaching. These teachers helped me throughout the year and helped me keep all of my A's and score all 5s on the AP Exams. This challenge influenced my plans for my future by making me unlock my full potential. Never in my freshman year did I think that I could even take and score well on Advanced Placement classes, or even take an early morning dual enrollment class, but I did. I conquered the year, and i lived my life at no expense to my mental health. I grew along the way as a person, and i met new friends and teachers, and I experienced moments of raw emotion with them. I think that surviving sophomore year has motivated me to pursue the AP Capstone Diploma and continue my AP Seminar journey with AP Research in my junior year (currently). I am also a part-time student at Evergreen Community College now, and I think that my educational journey has just begun. I really think that I have grown overall morally, and I really hope to give back to my community by becoming an environmental engineer and possibly even a teacher.

My name is Hieu Nguyen and I am a high school junior at Yerba Buena High School. I hope to graduate high school with the highest honors and get accepted into a university. I am personally fine with any university, but I am just concerned with the debt that I might procure from going anywhere far. I also want to continue to have ties to my community, especially within my church and Boy Scout troop. I have been involved in Boy Scouts for 8 years now, stemming from my Cub Scout days when I was 8 and into my Boy Scout years, starting when I was 11. I think this encouraged me to step into the realm of environmental science, as I initially thought that Boy Scouts was all about the outdoors. I plan on majoring in environmental science or engineering when I graduate high school, and I developed this passion for helping the Earth while I'm still here. I have used this passion for helping the Earth to motivate me and others to go tree planting and hosting cleanup events with my club. I am an event coordinator in my high school's chapter of the National Honor Society, and I recently opened my eyes to the volunteer shortage in the US, I have connected my club to events that are about cleanup and plantings. This is the least I can do from this age to pursue my goal of environmental science, and I try my best to invite other people to help us too. I am also interested in starting an environmental awareness club at Yerba Buena High School, where many people honestly don't know about the issues around us regarding the environment and pollution. As of now, I am just doing my part and serving Mother Nature as she has done for us for hundreds of years. I have recently started to reach a stage of my passion for the environment to think more about my future. I have looked into environmental science programs at various universities, and I am wondering about how I can get started early. I am also doing a water resource-related academic research paper for my yearlong project for AP Research. I hope to expand the research discipline of environmental science and world resources. This motivates me to collect secondary data and to lessen the knowledge gap in the field of science overall. I hope to someday even become a high school science teacher after the peak of my career so that I can give back to my community. I have been inspired by my environmental science teacher and all the effort that he put into the class. I hope to emulate that as I am in my older years so that I can gift the posterity with scientific literacy to open the world of STEM to needy students. In all, with my passion for STEM, I hope I can give back by becoming an engineer and then a teacher, and provide education to everyone who desires.

My name is Hieu Nguyen, and I am currently enrolled as a junior at Yerba Buena High School. My favorite Netflix series ever is Criminal Minds. This show unveils the stories behind the people who keep our country safe, but it also shows the raw emotion that impacts the federal officers who catch these prolific serial killers. Criminal Minds is a play on serial killers and the people who catch these serial killers. The storyline isn't necessarily based upon the crime itself but is also centered around how the officers manage their own lives in the face of having to travel the country to track these killers down. There is a wide variety of these characters, and they each have different personalities. I remember watching this show on television, then searching it up on Netflix and binging it on there during my free time. I would watch this under the covers at night secretly, and it brings many pleasant memories of my childhood back to me. Although this show did outline the horrors of the outside world, it did also give me a taste of the behind-the-scenes law enforcement. This show even had me wanting to study criminal law and become a profiler, but I realized I couldn't stand the gruesomeness and the situations that they had to face. I think when I address the next part of the prompt, I will reflect more upon my childhood and stray away from the Netflix part a bit. Watching this show is affiliated with my days as a middle schooler when I had so much time on my hands. I really did enjoy this show, and it amazed me during that age. Now as I am filling out scholarships and looking back on my time as a high schooler making the slow transition to higher education, I really miss those times when I could sit back and watch this show. This show is my favorite not only due to the amazing storyline, but due to its significance to me. Although I cannot explain the wor din feelings, I genuinely want to share my good memories of my childhood with everyone and encourage you to enjoy life as it is. Life never stops moving, and you will look back and see how fast time flies. I think that you should binge-watch whatever show that you remember from your childhood over the weekend so that you rejuvenate yourself with the taste of the good times, where life would be enjoyable, to give yourself the energy to move forward.