I first discovered a love for marine life when I was ten years old and quickly became obsessed. I covered my room in marine-themed decorations, became the proud owner of many dolphin necklaces, and decided to exclusively wear blue. Once my room, closet, and bookshelves could no longer hold all of my ocean-themed enthusiasm, I set to work finding a new way to share my love of the sea. One day, while playing with my young friends, I had an idea: I would start a club. I took my job as club founder very seriously. After signing a contract with my mother stating that I could use our living room as a “club meeting space”, I sat down with a pile of books which all had the words “Marine Biology” somewhere in the title and began my research. I wrote monthly “lesson plans”, bought craft supplies, and before I knew it fifteen girls were at my house learning about marine life. The meetings were such a success that they continued biweekly for a year. Despite how some childhood passions fade with time, my love of marine life has persisted. My bookshelf still contains countless ocean-themed texts and oceanography is my favorite class. When it came to choosing a field I wanted to study in college, many of my friends and family encouraged me to pursue my love of writing. Although writing has always been one of my favorite pastimes, something about it being my full-time career did not seem satisfactory. While looking through old journals and logs, I found my old journal titled, “Life Plans”, which I had written when I was twelve years old. In it, I had mapped out exactly what I wanted to study, Marine Biology, and which aquariums I wanted to work at. Finding this old journal gave me the missing link to the question I had been asking and I made a decision. I wanted to pursue my passions and study Marine Biology. This, however, led to another question: what would I like to do with a marine biology degree? My love of writing came into play. At present, I plan on going to Ave Maria University in Florida and majoring in Marine Biology with a focus on reef life and marine animals. During my studies, I plan on writing about what I see and encounter in a clear and easy-to-read way. I want future readers to see what I see, discover what I discover, and learn alongside me. My goal is to inspire a love of marine life to the people around me, while at the same time educating them about the wondrous world below the waves. The opportunity to learn in a hands-on way about the creatures I have been in love with since l was a little girl is a blessing and I am grateful for it every day. Thank you for your consideration, Julia Mancusi

My future self will flourish due to the hard work I am putting into her now; she will be selfless, generous, kind, compassionate, and most importantly, will help others achieve their own dreams.