What makes me the ideal candidate for this scholarship, you ask? Well, I am a part of the LGBTQ+ community, and I am going to college to study to be a Marine Biologist! I have always loved the ocean and all of its mysteries, so a few years ago I decided that I wanted to be a Marine Biologist in order to learn more about the oceans, and how I can do my part to help preserve them since they are such a prominent feature of the Earth. I think that having healthy oceanic environments is such an important part of our lives, so I want to do everything that I can to try to preserve the oceans. Since studying oceanic health is only one part of the requirements for this scholarship, and being a part of the LGBT community is the other, I should talk about myself as well. I have been a part of the LGBT community my whole life, but I did not realize it until a few years ago. I recently came out as a lesbian to my friends and family, as well as previously coming out as non-binary. I think that being a part of this community is fantastic and I absolutely love how supportive and kind everyone is. Being in the LGBT community makes me who I am today, and I would not have it any other way! Along with being queer, I find the ocean so fascinating. There is still so much to be explored, and I want to contribute what I can to find out more about our oceans. Despite my interest in the mystery that the oceans are, I think that the health of the oceans is the most crucial factor that draws me in. Since water makes up roughly seventy-one percent of the Earth, it is so important to help out as much as I can to make a difference in the health and preservation of our oceans. This scholarship will help me to pursue my goals because I will be able to study more in college, for less money. Winning this scholarship will allow me to study more about the health of our oceans, and how to improve them, without spending as much money. The money that I might save from winning this scholarship will likely be used to put towards more studying and education. College is expensive, as I have learned, and any scholarship helps me out a ton. If I could win any one scholarship, I would want it to be this one, since I think it is such a perfect fit for me.

Science, the S in STEM, has always been very intriguing to me. Ever since I was in elementary school, I have always loved anything and everything science related. Whether it was learning how plants and animals grow and develop, or the science of how to build the perfect sandwich with very specific directions. Because of my love and interest in the sciences, I want to pursue a career in science. Specifically, I want to go into Marine Biology. To me, learning more about the plants, animals, and environment in marine settings is so important. Not only do I find these topics very interesting, but I think that it is important to learn more about our water environments so that we can be educated about what goes on down there. Knowing more about these things can be helpful as they can bring out more opportunities and resources for us, but I also find it very interesting to know how certain things live in such environments. Although, just researching and learning about these things are not the only things I would have to do as a Marine Biologist. I know that I will encounter some difficult obstacles along the way. Some of the obstacles that I may encounter along the way in my Marine Biology journey could be the inability to find a job as soon as I would like to, based on my college degree and the things I study. I feel that there might not be a job that wants me with the amount of schooling and education I would have. Obviously, that could just be in my head and I am overthinking it, but it could be a genuine concern and future obstacle I could have to face. Another obstacle I may encounter is if my hopes are too high and a future in Marine Biology is not what I expect it to be. At that point, if it happens to be that way, I would either have to continue in this career that I don't want to be in anymore, or I could go back to school and get another degree in another topic and go from there. I don't think that this would happen, since I have researched a bunch about Marine Biology and what it would be like as a Marine Biologist. After a large amount of research, I am still very interested in this career, and I can't wait to become a Marine Biologist! Although I know there is a chance that I won't receive this scholarship, I think it will still be worth it to apply and write this essay. Writing this essay and putting a lot of thought into it made me truly think about why I want to pursue a Marine Biology career, and what might happen when I do. Thank you for taking the time to read my essay, and considering my application for this scholarship.