Steve Jobs once said, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." Garden City is a book written by John Mark Comer that explores the intricacies of "work, rest, and the art of being human." This book has had a great impact on the way I view the concept of work, and if everyone in the world were to read this book, I truly believe that it would drastically improve the world, and people would be much more content. Throughout Garden City, Comer provides a plethora of reasons to explain why we should work, but two points stood out as most important. The first of these is that we should not work simply to make money, but to make the world a better place. Comer states that no matter what we do, whether we work as a cashier, a scientist, or a senator, if the motivation behind our work is to make money, we will quickly become burnt out, and it will take a toll on our lives. On the other hand, if we truly believe that our work is making the world better, we will give our lives a sense of purpose. The first point leads directly into the second, which is do make our work something we love. This often goes hand-in-hand with working to make the world better, and it is equally important. Once again, Comer emphasizes that the need for money will never be enough to allow us to work in a way that is mentally and emotionally sustainable. When we work on things we love, we will often see the many ways that it improves the state of the world, which in turn gives us that desired sense of purpose. However, no matter how good work can be, Comer also expresses that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Therefore, he ensures to point out the vast importance behind taking time to rest. No matter how much we love our work, if we are always doing it, we will soon have little energy for it. Comer speaks of scientific studies that show incredibly positive impacts of taking just one day per week to take a rest from working. He encourages his readers to remember that only a little bit of rest can massively improve our ability to work to make the world a better place.

Even when I was a child, I always held a deep love for the Earth's oceans and everything in them. Every year, my family goes on a beach vacation, which is where my love for the ocean began. On the way to the beach, we often stopped at the Baltimore Aquarium, where I would gaze upon all the life around me with a sense of wonder, a sense that remains with me to this day. In recent years, we began renting kayaks at the beach, and I often paddle far from shore, where I will sit and marvel at the beauty of everything around me. Even after being there for hours, it never gets old. I occasionally see fish swimming under me, and I even saw a sea turtle on one occasion. The beauty of the ocean never ceases to amaze me, and I want to do whatever I can to preserve that beauty. As I grew older, I began to discover the threats that face our oceans, and I quickly developed concern about what the future could look like. While issues like overfishing and pollution are important to me, the issue that worries me the most is coral bleaching. This is one of the many effects that climate change has had on the Earth. In recent years, the average temperature of the ocean has increased, which forces coral polyps to abandon their homes in the coral. This causes the corals to lose their color and their primary source of nutrients, which effectively kills them. Not only do I think coral reefs are one of the most beautiful things in the ocean, but they are also of vital importance to the marine environment. Many call coral reefs the rainforests of the ocean because they contain about 25% of ocean species, despite covering only 1% of the ocean floor. However, coral bleaching puts this incredible ecosystem in grave danger. By killing the coral, it destroys the homes of most of the species that live there, which can cause catastrophic chain reactions that affect life throughout the entire ocean. Coral bleaching has the potential to transform a gorgeous ecosystem in to a barren wasteland, and a place that was once full of life will be become nearly abandoned. It almost brings me to tears when I think of the disastrous effects of coral bleaching and see pictures of what it has done. It pains me to see something that I have loved for so long be destroyed, which is why I want to devote my career to implementing a long-term solution to the problem. I intend to begin with a bachelor's degree in marine biology, but I hope to someday earn a Ph.D. Once I receive this degree, I want to get a job that will allow me to research coral and find ways to protect it. This could involve growing genetically altered coral that can survive the changing environment in the ocean, or finding some other way to protect coral. Going to college and earning a degree in marine biology will allow me to pursue a career that has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Protecting coral reefs and the oceans around them is one of the things I care about most in this world, and I hope that someday I can work to make a difference.

The movie that has had the greatest impact on my life is Tick Tick Boom. This movie tells the true story of Jonathan Larson, a musical theater writer who lived in New York City. From a young age, Jonathan had a love of musical theater, and he had a dream of writing a musical that would become a Broadway hit. To do this, Jonathan began to write a futuristic rock musical called Superbia. He worked on the show and its music for more than a decade, and he was almost ready to present it to producers in the hope of receiving funding. However, with mere days left until his presentation, he still needed to write one more song, but he began to experience something he never had before: writer's block. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find the lyrics or notes to write. On top of this, financial problems prevented him from having a full band for the presentation, and he was failing to pay his rent. In addition, because he was spending too much time working on Superbia, Jonathan fractured his relationships with both his best friend, Michael, and his girlfriend, Susan. With all of these problems piling up at once, along with the stress of his upcoming presentation, Jonathan was barely holding himself together. Despite all of this, through a lot of hard work and determination, he was able to both write a song for the musical and find money to pay for a band. However, in doing so, he sacrificed the chance of repairing his relationship with Susan. When the day of Superbia's presentation came, Jonathan watched his years of hard work coming to life before his eyes, and he was filled with pride. Many producers attended, including Stephen Sondheim, one of the biggest names in musical theater at the time. Superbia was received with countless positive reactions from the audience, so Jonathan eagerly awaited a call announcing that someone would agree to fund the show. However, as the days passed, the call never came. Jonathan slowly began to realize that the show he had spent most of his life writing would never be produced. Despite this disappointment, he decided to continue writing, and one of the next musicals he wrote, Rent, premiered on Broadway in 1996. Tick Tick Boom has had a large imact on me simply because of Jonathan's commitment to following his dreams. Even after experiencing countless setbacks and failures, he tried again and again to write a musical that people would love. Even though he made very little money doing what he did, Jonathan was happy because he was doing what he loved, and he usually had people he loved around him. These are values that I wish to emulate in my own life. I hope that, in my future, I am able to be determined in following my dreams. I also aim to do my job, not for the money, but because I enjoy it and so that I can help others. While Jonathan showed great determination in following his dream, he did sometimes spend too much time on it, causing him to lose relationships with people he cared about. This taught me that, while it is important to enjoy my work, it is also important to make sure that I still spend time with my loved ones. Because of Jonathan's hard work, determination, and ability to be happy with the little things in life, Tick Tick Boom has had a very large impact on my life and the person I want to be.

The recent increase in Earth's temperature and the impacts it causes, known as climate change has the potential to not only cause drastic changes to the environment but also to harm humans and the other species that live in it. In the coming decades and centuries, it has the potential to completely alter the biodiversity of all ecosystems and to force countless species to relocate to different areas as their current homes become uninhabitable for them. To prevent this disastrous possibility, we must take on the challenge of combating climate change. The most impactful way of doing this would simply be to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon emissions cause an overabundance of carbon in the atmosphere, which leads to the destruction of the ozone layer, and they contribute to a greenhouse effect, which traps heat within Earth's atmosphere. Several human activities cause severe carbon emissions, but the most impactful of these is the burning of fossil fuels. Since the industrial revolution, fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas have been burned to create power. However, at that time, humans did not realize the repercussions of using fossil fuels. As a result, they are burned throughout the world, and many countries are unable or unwilling to find sustainable alternatives. One of these alternatives that could be implemented is the use of renewable resources to create power. This could include solar, wind, hydroelectric, and several other forms of power. Each of these uses a resource that has an essentially infinite supply and that does not release the harmful carbon dioxide that fossil fuels do. Not only are these sustainable energy sources safer for the environment than fossil fuels, but over time, they are also much cheaper. Since renewable resources do not need to be purchased, there are significantly fewer costs over time than fossil fuels, which will become more expensive over time as Earth's supply becomes more depleted. Renewable energy sources present very few drawbacks when compared to the use of fossil fuels. One of these is that they could be difficult and expensive to implement at first, but since they are cheaper over time, these costs are not a major hindrance. A second and more impactful drawback is the fact that the people who would have the power and resources to implement a change to sustainable energy often enjoy many financial benefits from the use of fossil fuels. Since the fossil fuel industry is currently highly lucrative, people who do not understand the environmental impacts of its continued existence will not fight for a switch to sustainable energy. Unless this can be changed, it is unlikely that there will be any significant change in the use of fossil fuels. Despite the difficulties that can prevent these major changes to fight climate change, there are smaller things that anyone can do in their everyday lives that will help. One of the things I do is use sustainable driving practices. This includes driving as little as I can, along with not driving faster than necessary and not accelerating too quickly. In addition, whenever I can, I recycle materials I use that are recyclable. I also try to support sustainable practices whenever possible. There are also many alterations people can make to their homes and vehicles that will fight climate change. For example, buying an electric car or a hybrid will prevent carbon emissions from their vehicles, and using solar energy to power their houses will eliminate significant unsustainable energy use in their own homes. Whether the changes made are large or small, anything that can be done should be done.

Over the past year, I experienced more growth than I had throughout my entire life. This summer, I worked as a counselor at Camp Hebron Summer Camp. Little did I know that it would end up being the most stressful summer of my entire life. The summer began with two weeks of staff orientation, where we learned how to care for campers and how to deal with certain situations. Those weeks came and went very quickly, and I experienced a lot of growth, but it was nothing compared to what was to come. Since my training was completed, it was time to put it to the test, and it was a trial by fire. My first week with campers went very smoothly, and I became more comfortable with being in charge of a whole cabin of kids. I had very few problems with my campers, and I found myself having more fun than I thought I ever would. Then came week number two, when was selected to work with a week-long camp for adults with special needs. For the entirety of the week, four adults were placed completely under my care. Three of the four were unable to take care of their own basic needs without my assistance, and they were also either unable or unwilling to speak, making it difficult for me to discern what they needed. As a seventeen-year-old with no prior experience with special needs individuals, being in charge of caring for all of these people was beyond stressful for me. I did not feel remotely qualified for my position, I was further outside my comfort zone than I had ever been, and I was terrified that I might accidentally fail in my duty to fulfill their needs. My mental and emotional strength were both pushed to their breaking points through the first few days. However, as the week progressed, I realized that my mindset about the situation was only amplifying my stress level. Once I came to this realization, I was able to alter my attitude, and instead of approaching the rest of the week with fear, I approached it with confidence, determination, and fortitude. After that week, every challenge I faced paled in comparison. Every challenge, that is, until a car ran a stop sign right in front of my family's vehicle. The ensuing collision was terrifying. The first sound I heard was my sister struggling to breathe. I was instantly afraid for her life, but instead of panicking, I quickly untangled myself from my seatbelt and got everybody out of the smoking vehicle. If it weren't for the growth I had experienced earlier in the summer, which allowed me to act quickly, the consequences of the crash could have been much more severe. My summer at Camp Hebron revealed weaknesses to me that I never knew I had, but it allowed me to overcome them by forcing me to confront them head-on. Because of this, it was the most stressful summer of my life but also the best summer of my life. One of the many valuable lessons I learned was that stress doesn't stop me from growing. Instead, it shows me where I have an opportunity to grow. I sometimes feel remarkably unchanged by my experiences that summer, but every time I look back at the person I was before, I find that every part of me is just a little bit better, and my life is just a little bit brighter.