Up until reading this prompt, I did not realize how much of an eco-warrior I am. I have several personal actions that I choose to do and several more personal goals that I would like to complete to make a more sustainable lifestyle. Initially, what made me aware of the dangers we face for the planet were the yearly trips my family took to Yosemite national park. Core memories of every trip, and almost just as traditional as going to Yosemite itself, were the conversations my family had about carbon emissions. It led me to learn small ways that I can change in my daily life to make my contribution. I made small changes in my daily life such as making everything reusable (from bags to water containers) and using a water saving shower head. Still, I felt like my impact felt negligible compared to the problem we face. So, as a high schooler, I decided to somehow also implement that in whatever career I decided to step into. Currently, I am a junior civil engineering student at UC Berkeley with a focus on entering the construction industry as a project engineer. Another way I plan on making my impact is by owning a Tesla when I finish my degree. When I learned more about carbon emissions, I was flabbergasted by the impact we make as a society by driving cars as our primary form of transportation. As of right now, especially because I live so close to UC Berkeley, my only form of commute is public transportation. I love living in the Bay because it seems like the city prioritized public transportation. I could take a four-dollar train ride to get to San Francisco in 30 minutes. In many ways, it is more convenient than driving. As I mentioned, I also plan on integrating my ideologies into my career. The construction industry is heavily regarded for having a noticeable impact on carbon emissions. It is an industry that has been net-negative on carbon emissions for decades. Recently, there has been a law set to force the industry to become net zero. I plan on working for a company such as McCarthy Construction that thrives to become net-zero in its carbon footprint. Furthermore, as a civil engineering student eager to enter the construction industry, I also plan on becoming a LEED-certified associate. LEED focuses on making sure construction projects meet certain criteria in terms of eco-friendly innovations. I truly believe it is our duty as humans to reverse the damage we have done to our beautiful planet.

Playlist name: More than I signed up for Artist name: The chosen one Song list: -Time flies -Doing it wrong -Everything I am -FML -Praise God

My experience with mental illness resulted from a heartbreaking incident that occured with a loved one. One thing you never hear about mental illness are the effects they have on the people around you. My brother, Jonathan, developed a disease called Schizophrenia. It's a truly heartbreaking sight to see when you see someone who was the smartest person you knew become someone who can no longer go to school, provide for himself, or engage in daily social activities properly. I had dreams of working with my brother in the future, being a powerful brotherly duo, but that dream was shattered before it could even begin to come into fruition. I lost motivation seeing my family so sad. You could say I had a sort of depression, whether I knew it at the time I'm not too sure, but it definitely started to have a negative effect on my scholarly work, social life, and family. It was especially difficult feeling like I couldn't talk to anyone about my problems because essentially my whole family was going through the same thing. I would catch my mom crying at times, and I knew she didn't want me to see her that way, but I did and it hurt so much knowing I could do nothing to relieve her of that pain. It hurt so much when I would try to talk to Jonathan and I'd just see a blank face staring at a wall for hours. It was until I was accepted into UC Berkeley that I came to grow out of the dark place I was in. What helped me get through my dark times was giving meaning to a goal. It helped give me motivation to excel in school again and regain my social life. I wanted to become successful so that I could help my family look after Jonathan. I wanted to myself to be an embodiment of his goals so that he too can feel accomplished. One thing that not only helped me but my family was finding hope through God. My family used to be Catholic but grew out of the religion when I was young. We found our way to the lord again through becoming Christians.I saw hope in my moms eyes again and it made me feel so good. I would definitely recommend looking into any religion that satisfies your interest and morals if you are going through a tough time. You meet people that have similar experiences and they become people you truly care for; and people that truly care about you. I think it's an amazing way of regaining hope of knowing that it will get better.