Flying High The grace of a mourning dove draws my gaze as it soars among America’s ancient Appalachian hills; its soft coos echo through small, sleepy towns, rippling the mists that blanket the forest treelines. Listening to its songs through the crisp morning air, I think of how successful even a simple bird can be as it glides toward its destination. Success is like when a bird takes its first flight. After days of failure and fault, a bird must learn how to get back up and start over. You will never reach success if you do not pull yourself upright after undergoing hardships and trials. With growth, you can achieve your goals and meet new ones that you develop through the process. Success is the continued pursuit of goals, in spite of failures and false starts. With purpose and passion, a goal is a thrilling adventure that you try to complete, and the next step on my college journey is to set goals that I can pursue. In my experience, finishing one goal usually leads to setting another, each becoming another step on the road to my dreams; like many roads, however, the path to college success can be full of twists and turns, so it’s important to move at your own pace. I plan to pursue a major in Marine and Coastal Environmental Science to help obtain a degree in which I can work to help ocean and beach environments. Not only do I plan to achieve a bachelor's degree, but I also plan to work on getting my master’s degree or PhD after. While in college, I want to further my education by learning new skills for my major through summer internships worldwide and to explore diverse beach environments. After college, I hope to take part in a career in which I can help manage and control marine challenges and create solutions for future environmental problems. I hope to spend my days in labs and on the field to help our oceans and the animal life that inhabits it. I have set high standards for myself for my future goals and career. I understand the career I am pursuing doesn’t pay well and can have difficult environments to live in; however, I am not doing it for the money or for comfort–I am doing it to be part of the generation that is fighting for change for our ecosystems that are in danger. Like the mourning dove I watch overhead, I will surely face my share of falls, but as long as I am determined to get up and try again, I have no doubt that, one day, I will soar.

The grace of a mourning dove draws my gaze as it soars among America’s ancient Appalachian hills; its soft coos echo through small, sleepy towns, rippling the mists that blanket the forest treelines. Listening to its songs through the crisp morning air, I think of how successful even a simple bird can be as it glides toward its destination. Success is like when a bird takes its first flight. After days of failure and fault, a bird must learn how to get back up and start over. You will never reach success if you do not pull yourself upright after undergoing hardships and trials. With growth, you can achieve your goals and meet new ones that you develop through the process. Success is the continued pursuit of goals, in spite of failures and false starts. With purpose and passion, a goal is a thrilling adventure that you try to complete, and the next step on my college journey is to set goals that I can pursue. In my experience, finishing one goal usually leads to setting another, each becoming another step on the road to my dreams; like many roads, however, the path to college success can be full of twists and turns, so it’s important to move at your own pace. Initially, I thought the idea of going to college right after high school was too soon for me. I change my mind often, and I worried that my lack of uncertainty would lead me down a road I didn’t want. However, as I looked around my classrooms and even in my own home, I realized that everyone is moving at their own pace. For example, my mother has recently decided to attend college again, her third attempt since high school. I have been looked down many times that neither one of my parents has a college degree. Most of my childhood I spent at my grandmother's house while my single-parent mother worked night shifts at our small town's factory. After a few years of barely living off nothing, my mother married and our finances improved, but not long after, she was hurt on the job and had to quit.. Back to one income, we were hardly getting by, with my mother taking on small jobs to make just enough for food on the table. After taking her time and figuring out what she really wants to, she is now pursuing a nursing degree, and as I watch her set goals, make adjustments, and work at a pace that makes sense for her, I have realized that it’s ok for me to start college, even though I don’t currently have all the answers. In time, everything will pan out like it should. Although my family had a rough start and, to this day, has our struggles, we gratefully scrape by on what we do have. From experiences of having to start babysitting and house sitting when I was 13 so I could help pay household bills, I have learned that adversity has helped me progress as a responsible and confident young woman. When I think about moving to the south for college, I don't get nervous or scared of my college future because I am comfortable being on my own. I plan to pursue a major in Marine and Coastal Environmental Science to help obtain a degree in which I can work to help ocean and beach environments. Not only do I plan to achieve a bachelor's degree, but I also plan to work on getting my master’s degree or PhD after. While in college, I want to further my education by learning new skills for my major through summer internships worldwide and to explore diverse beach environments. After college, I hope to take part in a career in which I can help manage and control marine challenges and create solutions for future environmental problems. I hope to spend my days in labs and on the field to help our oceans and the animal life that inhabits it. I have set high standards for myself for my future career because I know I can go over and beyond what my Applachian community expects for me. I understand the career I am pursuing doesn’t pay well and can have difficult environments to live in; however, I am not doing it for the money or for comfort–I am doing it to be part of the generation that is fighting for change for our ecosystems that are in danger. So yes, my goals will be hard, but I believe that I can finish strong. I have always yearned for diversity in my education while living in my small Appalachian community. Since my mother has not graduated from college yet, I will be a first-generation college student in my family. The conflicts of student debt and college costs have hindered my family from attending college for generations, but now I hope to change that for my children and generations after. If I were to receive this scholarship, I would have an abundance of opportunities to benefit myself in college with my tuition and other fees; this fact leaves me more time to study and accomplish more outside of my school environment. As a woman and a student of an Appalachia community, I have witnessed firsthand the disadvantage young female students have received when discussing our future in learning and bettering our education in STEM. With this, I hope that receiving this scholarship shows how much work I've put into my community, family, and myself, even with the disadvantages of my background. I believe the results of the hard work I have put in during my high school years exemplify why I deserve this scholarship. Like the mourning dove I watch overhead, I will surely face my share of falls, but as long as I am determined to get up and try again, I have no doubt that, one day, I will soar.

The grace of a mourning dove draws my gaze as it soars among America’s ancient Appalachian hills; its soft coos echo through small, sleepy towns, rippling the mists that blanket the forest treelines. Listening to its songs through the crisp morning air, I think of how successful even a simple bird can be as it glides toward its destination. Success is like when a bird takes its first flight. After days of failure and fault, a bird must learn how to get back up and start over. You will never reach success if you do not pull yourself upright after undergoing hardships and trials. With growth, you can achieve your goals and meet new ones that you develop through the process. I have been looked down on many times that neither one of my parents has a college degree. Most of my childhood I spent at my grandmother's house while my single-parent mother worked night shifts at our small town's factory. After a few years of barely living off nothing, my mother married and our finances improved, but not long after, she was hurt on the job and had to quit. We hardly got by, with my mother taking on small jobs to make just enough food on the table. After taking her time and figuring out what she really wants to, she is now pursuing a nursing degree, and as I watch her set goals, make adjustments, and work at a pace that makes sense for her, I have realized that it’s ok for me to start college, even though I don’t currently have all the answers. In time, everything will pan out like it should. I plan to pursue a major in Marine and Coastal Environmental Science to help obtain a degree in which I can work to help ocean and beach environments. Not only do I plan to achieve a bachelor's degree, but I also plan to work on getting my master’s degree or PhD after. While in college, I want to further my education by learning new skills for my major through summer internships worldwide and to explore diverse beach environments. After college, I hope to take part in a career in which I can help manage and control marine challenges and create solutions for future environmental problems. I hope to spend my days in labs and on the field to help our oceans and the animal life that inhabits it. I have set high standards for myself for my future career. I understand the career I am pursuing doesn’t pay well and can have difficult environments to live in; however, I am not doing it for the money or for comfort–I am doing it to be part of the generation that is fighting for change for our ecosystems that are in danger. So yes, my goals will be hard, but I believe that I can finish strong. I have always yearned for diversity in my education while living in my small Appalachian community. Since my mother has not graduated from college yet, I will be a first-generation college student in my family. With this, I hope to obtain my degree even with the disadvantages of my background. I believe the results of the hard work I have put in during my high school years exemplify why I deserve this scholarship. Like the mourning dove I watch overhead, I will surely face my share of falls, but as long as I am determined to get up and try again, I have no doubt that, one day, I will soar.

The grace of a mourning dove draws my gaze as it soars among America’s ancient Appalachian hills; its soft coos echo through small, sleepy towns, rippling the mists that blanket the forest treelines. Listening to its songs through the crisp morning air, I think of how successful even a simple bird can be as it glides toward its destination. Success is like when a bird takes its first flight. After days of failure and fault, a bird must learn how to get back up and start over. You will never reach success if you do not pull yourself upright after undergoing hardships and trials. With growth, you can achieve your goals and meet new ones that you develop through the process. I have been looked down on many times that neither one of my parents has a college degree. Most of my childhood I spent at my grandmother's house while my single-parent mother worked night shifts at our small town's factory. After a few years of barely living off nothing, my mother married and our finances improved, but not long after, she was hurt on the job and had to quit. We hardly got by, with my mother taking on small jobs to make just enough food on the table. After taking her time and figuring out what she really wants to, she is now pursuing a nursing degree, and as I watch her set goals, make adjustments, and work at a pace that makes sense for her, I have realized that it’s ok for me to start college, even though I don’t currently have all the answers. In time, everything will pan out like it should. I plan to pursue a major in Marine and Coastal Environmental Science to help obtain a degree in which I can work to help ocean and beach environments. Not only do I plan to achieve a bachelor's degree, but I also plan to work on getting my master’s degree or PhD after. While in college, I want to further my education by learning new skills for my major through summer internships worldwide and to explore diverse beach environments. After college, I hope to take part in a career in which I can help manage and control marine challenges and create solutions for future environmental problems. I hope to spend my days in labs and on the field to help our oceans and the animal life that inhabits it. I have set high standards for myself for my future career. I understand the career I am pursuing doesn’t pay well and can have difficult environments to live in; however, I am not doing it for the money or for comfort–I am doing it to be part of the generation that is fighting for change for our ecosystems that are in danger. So yes, my goals will be hard, but I believe that I can finish strong. I have always yearned for diversity in my education while living in my small Appalachian community. Since my mother has not graduated from college yet, I will be a first-generation college student in my family. With this, I hope to obtain my degree even with the disadvantages of my background. I believe the results of the hard work I have put in during my high school years exemplify why I deserve this scholarship. Like the mourning dove I watch overhead, I will surely face my share of falls, but as long as I am determined to get up and try again, I have no doubt that, one day, I will soar.

I have a tendency to live vicariously through book characters, fictional figures that take you to new sights past your wildest imagination. You know the stories of small village girls that become overthrowing queens? I like those best. I admire the bravery of going through hardships and trials to become a great leader. I was the little girl who stayed up late with a flashlight in hand, reading the trials of obstacles and mischief from Junie B. Jones. As I read on through my free time and late at night, the comfort of diving into new worlds clouded the world around me. An escape from reality–that's why I liked to read in the first place. When I read, I feel overcome with emotions, igniting confidence, euphoria, and inspiration in me. A couple months ago, I read a book that I bought after a Tik Tok I saw on my FYP called "Beyond the Break", about a young girl caught up in her life goals and a deep passion for surfing. Lovette, the main character, is struck with complications of not being able to surf due to family trauma and then the temptations of the world affecting her relationship with God. From the beginning, I connected to Lovette and her story. I, too, felt caught up with my life goals, traumas, and passions, making me feel further away from my creator. I feel when you are at your highest and most improved is when you are hit the hardest. As I move further along my path of life, my relationship with God has become harder to maintain. I have been blessed with amazing people that have encouraged me to accomplish great things in not only my religion, but also my goals in life. From my love of reading, my FYP on my Tik Tok is full of what we adventurous readers call Book Tok. Book Tok involves clips of influencers and small accounts that show their book collections, reading spots in their homes, and ratings on books they have read. For me my favourite Book Tok trend is the silence rating challenge. Tik Tokers will review a book without talking. It's actually quite entertaining when you see the person on the other side of the screen making obnoxious noises and funny hand movements. From those reviews, I have wanted to try to read a few books and I have bought some of them recently. A few books that come to mind are "It Ends with Us" that is actually in progress to be a movie right now, "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo", "A Little Life", and my favorite that I have bought and read several times are the "We are Liars" and "Family of Liars" books. With these titles, I cannot emphasize how badly I wish I could live in a cozy country cottage and just read for hours on end. When I see new books on my FYP, I immediately want to know the other person's thoughts and run to Amazon to buy it. For me, I need to find a cozy spot to enjoy reading to the fullest. If money wasn't a problem, my ideal bookshelf would be like the book gallery in "Beauty and the Beast". I could spend hours reading if I was surrounded by books and ceilings of beautifully painted art. The book shelves are high and majestic in the movie and seem never ending. WIth a collection like that, I could be reading till I die and never reread the same thing.

If you asked me how old I was when I played my first Nintendo game I couldn't tell you; I’ve been playing video games since I can remember. I do know however my first video game experience ever was a Nintendo 64 setup. Although it was for my brothers, I grew to love the games they owned and tried to sneak in a play anytime they weren't home. We had so many different kinds of games from Mario Kart 64 to my favorite game Donkey Kong 64. I still get nostalgic when I see Donkey Kong in newer games and recent movies. With my love of video games as a young girl in a house full of boys it became part of my lifestyle as I grew older. I still remember laughter hanging in the air as I speed past my younger cousin in a game of Mario Kart 7. We had both gotten Nintendo 3DS for Christmas and made sure to bring all our favorite games. My cousins opened me up to so many different types of Nintendo games. I remember my first time playing Super Smash Bros. with my cousins and uncle. It was so different from all the other Nintendo games and I loved it. I fell in love with Rosalina and always chose her as my character. With salty popcorn at our sides, my cousins and I decided on our characters. I felt a deepening joy for gaming because it was something that brought my family and me closer together. For most families maybe it is going to a football game or going out for dinner together, but for my family, it is spending hours playing Mario Party and coming together in all the obstacles the game offers. Having our family coming together for a little bit of fun every few afternoons a week made me realize that it's not just gaming that helped us connect, but the meaning in the games. Nintendo games are always astonishingly different but with the same characters, we know and love. My family and I all agree that Mario Party is our favorite game to play together because of the mini-games within the board-like video game. The mini-games helped with communication and brought us closer together because of that. I always seemed to get invested in a good game of Super Mario Bros as a child. Most nights I would hide away after curfew under my sheets and spend hours playing. I think back to the many times I would keep my volume low on my Nintendo 3DS and listen to my parent's footsteps. More than once I remember throwing my 3DS under my blankets and pretending to be drifting off in deep slumber, however many times I would hear Mario’s muffled talking under my blankets. To this day I still don't understand how I never got caught. Now as a grown woman heading towards college my love for video games has not decreased. I have branched out to different games like Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Sims 4. However, the cherished memories of playing Nintendo games always come back to me.

What is the meaning of family? What is its definition? Such a tricky question I may ask. Is it your DNA blood having a connection to someone else's? A passed down ring from mother to daughter to more generations to come maybe? Is it perhaps a marriage oath to the one you love most? Is family not just the meaning of love? So many questions, so many never-ending circles of confusion. The tension of my home life made me have conscious fear and struggle to live. In this fear, I found a safe space. My safe space was with Chloe. Chloe was with me when I went to school, climbing in jungle gyms, and when I had trouble falling asleep. In my most insecure moments, she was there to help. Sadly she was only real to me. She lived in my mind where my comforts and dreams lay. In second grade, I remember transferring from homeschool and I was given my first state test. During my test, I imagined Chloe was no longer near me but I was her. I choose to stay strong and confident through and through my fears. I knew I was not what society expected of me, but I decided I would prove to them I was better than the expectations of our sick world. The troubles of a family must be sacred in the home. The walls surrounding you must contain every lie and discomfort presented. In my family, this was normal. We fight and bicker but then make up and relive. At a young age, I wanted to get away. Not your normal teenager who wanted to run away of course, no I was more invested in a runaway style of never being home. I filled my days with endless work nights, tree planting, local trash clean-ups, scorching hot tennis matches, and Friday night lights at marching band football games. I wanted to put myself out there to the world and prove I was a great role model with every act of service committed. After my junior year of high school, I was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service award for my over 400 hours of community service in High School. While also contributing to my community, I was then given the honor of being Jackson County's Jackson Apple Festival queen court member after a contest that involves public speaking, an interview about my leadership and service to Jackson County, and my influence on people. As I have represented Jackson County at multiple festivals, parades, and fairs, I have been overjoyed by the many diverse experiences. I have always yearned for diversity in my education while living in my small Appalachian community. By being a first-generation college student in my family, the conflicts of student debts and college costs have hindered my family from attending college, and I am at risk of even myself from attending college. After a day's tribulations, I was then back to where I started at the beginning of the day. I was brought back to a broken home. A home where the American definition of a family was a bloodbath. In my heart I loved my family, you're supposed to love them. You care for them so they care for you. As I do with friendships, I care for them. I love them. So to me, the definition of family is who you love and care for. People who you would sacrifice the world for. My community is my family. A never-ending circle of problems to solutions is solved together.

To Infinity and Beyond Our galaxy and beyond sometimes puzzles me. I sat and stared at the once brightly lit sky which showed misty clouds and a beaming sun that once contributed warmth, though now the sun has set on the west side of my Appalachian property and the moon takes the shape of a waning crescent. Stars form brightly in the sky, light-years away they are their sun. At that moment I envision myself as a Star Wars character zooming past planet after planet to discover new galaxies and protect from the forces of evil. I am fascinated by these fiction-based dreams that have been created by sci-fi-based movies. Though for a moment I scare myself to think there might be other life forms out there, maybe ET or other alien life forms do exist. Maybe, just maybe we are the aliens in another galaxy's story. The ability humans have is fascinating. As humans we are uniquely made and are like no other life form on this planet we call Earth. From the buzzing bees to the howling wolf, animals of all kinds are their species and have their abilities. I often wonder why our species- the human race- was chosen to be so unique. We have the ability like animals to communicate with one another but as humans, we have created over thousands of years a language barrier full of hundreds of different languages. Unlike animals, we don't have to stay on one course of dieting, unless we have a dietary restriction like myself. Most, however, can choose between different routes of dieting for example veganism, paleo, and even keto. This unique feature is another reason why we are so different from other beings. By understanding the nature of the human race and other life forms we can understand the nature of our universe. Although understanding every detail of our existence and the life around us is a lot to make a concept of, it will in all help us make the concept of everything in the universe. When I research or study our Earth I truly understand how small we are compared to our galaxies and the ones out there yet discovered. I feel like a dot spinning around and around on a small sphere surrounded by darkness. A sense of existence when I get up in the morning, the feeling of having no purpose because I am one person. However, we as humans can make a huge impact on our world. It can become intimidating when you try to reach your goals and get knocked down. I always like to refer to the French dancer Yoann Bourgeois due to his excellent performance in showcasing failures to reach goals with just a simple demonstration using a staircase and a trampoline. With this stunt, he impressively captivates the audience with a powerful message about personal goals and the hardships intertwined with them. Along with the audience, I was also impressed with this performance by viewing this act online. I loved how well his choreography was to demonstrate the importance of understanding failure is a good thing and if you keep working towards your goal you can achieve great things in life. With confidence and courage, we can create projects, events, and even showcases to project growth and sustainability in our daily lives for a better future. For me, I believe now is the perfect time to portray climate action as an extreme issue and employ ideas on how to improve our ways of life that affect our beloved Earth. By having a leadership role in my school's environmental club Youth Climate Action Team, I have had the opportunity to participate in leadership retreats, state-wide conferences, and most importantly, volunteering in local trash clean-ups. When I had the opportunity to speak at an ELA national convention in Columbus, Ohio, I spoke on how important making ELA connections with the science department of school is in not only the learning environment but also taking action towards climate change in the school communities. With this experience, I can employ more ideas on how I can project my ideas of conservation and preservation for future generations in my college career and future job forces. Although I come from an Appalachian community hidden among tall corn fields and hilly plains, that did not stop me from working toward my dreams. Living in an Appalachian community means not only is my education at a disadvantage but my opportunities for my future career do not go beyond working in a factory or being a stay-at-home mother. By seeing my told future in front of me from a father who worked at our local factory General Mills and a mother who also worked there but then was hurt years before and was now unemployed I felt distressed about what my future held. I longed to work outside of my comfort zone and community, and from this, I decided to look into the natural sciences. I fell in love with marine science and environmental science and decided to work towards majoring in Marine and Coastal Environmental Science. After telling my family my plans I was open to concerns but also pride. With my major, I knew I needed to move to a coastal state, and from this knowledge, I fell in love with Coastal Carolina University which in the future I was accepted to and I decided to commit for Fall of 2024. Moving out of state is not only scary but I knew I was going to be completely independent for everything while in college because I would no longer be a 2 to 4-hour drive from home but now an 8 to 9-hour drive from my homeland. Crazy how a small-town girl can have the accomplishments of attending a college located states away from home. With years of volunteering and improving my college resume, I knew my chances of getting accepted to Coastal were increasing day by day. I knew if I wanted to be a force of good for my community and beyond I needed to give up the comforts of the pine tree forests and move towards the salty-filled air of Conway, South Carolina. I hope to join many environmental events at Coastal and with my degree I will be involved with beach clean-ups and helping to preserve the oceans. With a bright future ahead of me, I hope to bring my ideas to life as I understand our universe better by advancing my education. After college, I want to make an impact on the world as I have in my Appalachian community after high school. The world needs creative and bright students and I believe I am among that group that will change the world.

I consider the Appalachian hills of southern Ohio a glory land–a homeland full of state forests, majestic rivers, and luscious, sweet corn. As beautiful as southern Ohio is, I have noticed drastic changes over the last few years affecting this alluring climate. The most alarming topic for southern Ohio and Ohio state overall is climate change. From the excruciatingly high temperatures in July of 2023 to the air pollution from the fire smoke coming from Canada, I have seen the death of our beautiful environment. Sophomore year, my peers and I grew more eager to learn more about climate action and how we can restore our community from an environmental emergency. I told myself from the start I wanted to live a more sustainable life. From extensive research and community involvement, Jackson High School’s Youth Climate Action Team was born. Founded almost 3 years ago, The Youth Climate Action Team (YCAT), provided the opportunity for high school students to receive community service hours while improving our environment, as well as learning more about climate action. YCAT is so important to me because it allows me to reach out to help my community and the environment at the same time. I flourish in my accomplishments through YCAT. Some examples of our services include trash clean-up days, recycling paper and composting in the high school building and presenting meetings throughout the school year to learn about climate change and present environmental news. As the leader of YCAT, I work to present at meetings with our discussions and upcoming events. Being a leader of this inspirational club has impacted my whole outlook on life and my future in college. I have contributed countless hours of volunteering and attending YCAT events to help my understanding of climate action. I have attended many leadership conferences and camps through my club, and from them, I have learned how to be a spirited, motivational leader and how I can actively lessen the human consumption that affects my environment negatively. By attending all the opportunities YCAT has given me, I furthered my learning in what college career field I wanted to pursue. I recently attended the YCAT Leadership trip to Spruce Knobs in West Virginia, and while on this trip, I learned I enjoyed two things most: caving miles down a river and using only a compass, map, and instinct to hike up a mountain off trails. From off and on journaling on this trip, I learned I wanted to pursue a major in Geology and Marine Sciences. While also exploring different career goals, I found that I loved to help preserve and protect our environment. This is our planet and the only planet we know we can survive on. We get one shot to not mess things up. I believe that with the growth I have built within my club as well as in my community I have decreased not only my carbon footprint but also have lessened my communities. I hope that over time with new improvements like solar panels and in-school composting and recycling my school will be able to know the understanding of how much reduction of our carbon footprint we can create. Even though YCAT is still fairly new, I believe wholeheartedly it is making a major impact on my community and myself. As my club grows and more opportunities sprout, I grow along with it, leading to a future where I hope to bloom.

Uncle Sam Red and white stripes, American bald eagles, and the most diverse lands worldwide, America. Some of the top national parks in the world and known as the fastest-growing economy in the world are the many definitions of the United States of America. Full of equality and freedom most countries struggle to maintain we have conquered it all. We open our hearts to every culture, religion, and diverse living in our day-to-day lives. That is what makes America beautiful. America is known to have the title of “The Greatest Country in the World” by U.S. citizens and even by other countries. We create communities full of safety and diversity. America has strong security due to our outstanding government control and the world's most dominant economic and military power. To sports, religion, and jobs, we have it all. We are known to be the melting pot of the world because of our inclusiveness to people's cultural differences. These are the many reasons why I am proud to be an American. Coming from a Native American ancestral bloodline, I have been open to my culture since birth. I attended Shawnee and Deleware tribal traditions at a young age. These traditions for example were celebrating my ancestors and planting season by dancing in powwow circles and green corn dances. I love my culture and everything I have learned about my ancestors' pasts and how they have prepared me for the future. I like to think I walk in the footsteps of my ancestors when I give back to my community through volunteer work and when I protect my environment with clean-up days and other events I have participated in through being a leader of the Youth Climate Action Team at my high school. By volunteering through my club, I have planted a new apple orchard in my small Appalachian town in Ohio and I have cleaned up lakes, streets, and parks in my Jackson community. Although many of these acts are just small ways I have contributed to my community, I have grown to speak about climate action statewide in the past year. I recently spoke at a National ELA Conference in Columbus, Ohio where I met English teachers from all over the United States and talked to them about how my trip to Spruce Knobs in West Virginia and many other climate activists trips have related to ELA learning. I spoke about what climate action was and how they could involve the urgency of this future disaster in their English classrooms. I implied different learning styles and lesson plans so they could collaborate with their science teachers at their school to help make their community more environmentally sustainable. Although my speech could only reach out to those in that conference room, I hope to continue making a change worldwide in my college career in Marine and Coastal Environmental Science. That is why I want a change in our country that revolves around the impact climate change and global warming will have on not only America but worldwide if we do not change our ways. As Americans, we revolve our daily lives around plastic waste and air pollution due to our daily consumption. By alerting my community to the change we need to make through small changes like clean-up days and bigger impacts of state-wide speeches, I believe I will be able to make a change in my country in college and my workforce over this devastating environmental disaster. The action needs to be made now before our lovely hills and salty beaches are at a cause too late to be saved.

Roots of Heritage The barriers of majestic hemlock trees shadow my trail as I guide myself up the incredible halls of the rocky formation of Hocking Hills. This fern-covered mature forest opens my eyes to a whole new world of diversity. The smell of sweet pine mixed with lemon and orange peel fills my senses; I'm glorified by my surroundings. As I'm bathed in the forest air, I begin to walk closer to my Native American heritage. Like the roots of trees, I'm connected from the ground up with nature. I pride myself in my bronze, suntanned skin while I walk around in the abyss of nature. My grandmother engaged me with my Indian culture before I could even walk. The soft, lightweight deer skin hide covers my small frame. My long braided hair, embedded with strings of leather and feathers swings back and forth as I dance around a powwow Indian ancestral circle. Luanie, our bird clan mother, led in the circle which brings the meaning of closeness to our community and culture. I became diverse with dancing, singing, and honoring the traditions of my Shawnee ancestors. I was fortunate enough to be included in my ancestors' culture by my grandmother. Both sides of my family come from a long line of Shawnee and Delaware North Native Americans. The word Ohio is taken from the Iroquois word ‘ohiyo’, which means “the great river.” Located in southern Ohio, I became inclusive to learning my ancestor's native traditions. My Grandmother -on my mother's side- attended powwow and green corn dances to celebrate our ancestors and planting season. I was immersed in different foods in my day-to-day life: cornbread, soups, and stews. During hunting season, my grandmother's good friend Chief Running Foot brought us heaps of small game and deer meat for us to feast on. When I was five, I finally got my native name. As a child, I was known as the local songbird. I sang my heart out with the beat of water drums and the beats of nature. From this, I was given the name Singing Dove. In my childhood years, I was homeschooled till the 2nd grade. Through this experience, I learned about my native heritage with hands-on learning. As we strolled past Indian mounds and Native American history landmarks, I became diversified by learning who I truly was in my family's history. One of the spots we visited was the Serpent Mounds in Peeples, Ohio. These prehistoric mounds, along with Hopewell, were ancient burial sites. Underneath the mounds are fragments of pottery, food, jewelry, and natural materials like flint and stone. Most ancient Indian mounds, such as the Serpent Mound, represent the shapes of animals -I find this very fascinating- to honor their representative animal. Connecting our soul to our family's history is an honor. Passing down traditions and cultural diversity for future generations to experience. With the childhood I had, I got to experience the wonders of my native ancestors. Through this experience, I have become a global citizen and a more diverse person in our American society. I will continue to celebrate our native traditions and make a career path toward reviving nature's habitat. By learning about other national tribes and how every tribe's traditions and rituals are different, I will be able to spread a national educational outlook on my family's history. With great pride, I am honored to have the blood of the Shawnee and Delaware Native American tribes of southern Ohio.