As a graduating high school senior on the cusp of starting college, it feels like the world is wide open – truly an amazing feeling. I will be starting my undergraduate education in the fall, and majoring in Marine and Aquatic Sciences at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. I fell in love with oceans, ocean life, and all things water when I was young. I would visit our local zoo’s aquarium often, starting when I was just six months old. My mom tells me as I grew, so too did my interest. When I was just a toddler, we took my first trip to the ocean, and I think I fell in love with the water even before I can remember. Every chance I had to experience the ocean and the creatures living in it made me more and more interested in learning as much as I could. I was thrilled when I was able to take my first snorkeling trip in the Florida Keys, and thus began a decades’ long tradition of going annually. We’d got to the same spots often enough, and as we continued our tradition, I realized that the reefs were less and less populated by sea creatures each time we went, the coral looked different and the situation seemed to get more notable with each visit. By age ten, I could see that the coral reefs were in serious danger, and a fire began to burn in me. It was then I decided my life needed to be in service to the oceans, and to saving the reefs specifically. I continued learning about oceans and the environment in my teens, volunteering for the Cincinnati Zoo. I also chose a high school that I knew upon visiting was the place for me… the aquariums in the biology wing called my name. Starting in my freshman year and continuing today, I serve as an officer in the Marine Biology and Zoology clubs. I care for the creatures in the aquariums, assist a local aquatic shop in caring for our tanks, am currently training other students in proper aquarium care and maintenance to continue my work. Last summer, I had the opportunity to take a marine biology class in Hawaii and it was probably the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. I scuba dived with whale sharks, I learned more than I could have imagined, and it all just reinforced that my passions are true and I am exactly where I should be. I would like to focus on reef sustainability in my collegiate career, specifically with regards to invertebrate creatures, such as crustaceans, who call reefs home. I am looking forward to being with experts and people who are also interested in this area, learning from them, and identifying what steps I can take, what I need to do, to help support the health and livelihood of these animals and their homes. I cannot say for certain what that will be right now –that is why my world feels wide open right now – there are many possibilities for me to embrace and do what I know I need to do. I am excited to help care for the creatures in OU’s aquariums, to assist in furthering existing and new research. After my undergraduate work is complete, I plan on pursuing my Master’s and Ph.D. in marine and aquatic science. Ultimately, I would love to be a professor and have the opportunity to conduct research and continue to learn to help protect and sustain the coral reefs and those who call them home.

I was a pretty outgoing, extroverted child when I was younger. As I grew older, I grew more introverted and introspective and intellectual. I read a lot more, and I connected with the natural world on a deeper level. I do not exactly know when my personality shifted, if it was just a natural growth for me, or if it was something that happened because of childhood trauma. Whatever the case may be, it made me who I am today, an introvert who has worked very hard to be able to overcome anxiety and be an extrovert when I need to be. I was fortunate to love close by the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens as a young child, so my mom and I could visit whenever we had a few hours. I would pick a few exhibits and learn everything I could about those animals, and pretend to "teach" my mom about them. I took summer camps where I would look up to the Zoo Teen volunteers as heroes. I swore I would be one of them one day. My mom made our trips fun, but it was a sort of escape for us. My father was an alcoholic and had mental health issues, and we would go to the Zoo to get out of the house and away from his abuse. It was a sanctuary for me, as much as it was for the animals. I think as my father's situation got worse, I began to look more inward. My anxiety increased. I became less able to connect with people, especially men and boys, and I analyzed every word and every interaction I had with others to try to ascertain what would happen next. My mom saw what was happening and I began therapy. Anxiety is certainly not easy to overcome and it certainly helped me create some of my own road blocks along the way, even with help. When I was thirteen, I applied to participate in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's Zoo Teen volunteer program for 13-18 year olds. It gives teens the opportunity to develop strong leadership skills, public speaking, mentoring abilities, and how to engage and relate with the general public. I was excited to apply because I had wanted to be one of those Zoo Teens since I was very, very young! I received the notice that I was granted an interview, and my anxiety almost stopped me from even going to the initial interview. My mom supported me through it, helped me practice interviewing and generally just helped me calm my nerves. The day of the interview was still scary because I was the youngest person in the room with a bunch of older teens, but I did well and ended up receiving an offer to join the program. I was simultaneously thrilled and terrified. I told my mom I couldn't do it, but she again helped me deal with my anxiety and fear, and I started volunteering at the Zoo that summer. I had to learn how to address my anxious nerves on my own when I was on a shift but I did it, and I became a trusted volunteer in the program. I came back each year since, improving my skills, becoming more comfortable with myself, and my confidence grew. I am still introverted, but because I am passionate about animals and our Zoo, I overcame my introversion and anxiousness to succeed in the Zoo Teen program. I will be sad to leave this year, but I am grateful for the skills it helped me develop.

I have been fortunate, but no one is perfect, no life is perfect. I am not perfect. I have created some of my own challenges, and have had challenges presented by others. That's life, and part of what helps us grow. We all have our challenges. I was always taught to respect that, and to understand that we all fall sometimes. The key is learning whatever lesson we are supposed to learn, and to pick ourselves up and move on. My father and I have never been close. He is an alcoholic, and suffers from mental illness. He lived in the same house as we did, but he wasn't present and was never the kind of father I would have hoped for. He was usually drunk or hungover. He didn't spend time with us, such as when my mother would take me to aquariums or zoos, one of our favorite activities (and one that actually helped me discovery my love for marine biology). He didn't attend school or athletic events, or even regular family dinners. He was pretty mean to my mom but she and our extended family protected me from that. My parents divorced when my mother felt we could no longer remain safe in the same house as my father. I was a young teenager, but even I knew it was the best possible thing that could happen. My mom and I made a home that was calm, warm, with no arguing or anger, no drugs, no alcohol. My father had to agree to be sober while I was around him, so I would occasionally see him. It was usually nice because he was on his best behavior for the limited time he was with me. He would not drink while I was awake, and I only later learned he would just drink at night after I went to bed. When I was sixteen years old, I came out to my father. I wanted to be honest with him, and I thought he would support me. Two weeks later, he told me via text that he could no longer see me. I texted back, asking why, and he didn't respond. I have not seen my father regularly since then, just on holidays with other family present. I struggled with that for a long time. I was angry for a long time. At him, at me. He was one of two people who should have loved me more than anyone else in the world, and he treated me like I was worthless. I don't know if it was the alcohol or the mental illness that caused him to behave the way he did, but I blamed myself. Feeling like I did something wrong, that there was something wrong with me that made me unlovable, that I was damaged. I immediately started therapy, and that has helped me recognize that this is one challenge that I did not create, but that I could still overcome and learn from. I have made a commitment to myself that I will not make the same choices my father has made over the years, from choosing to use alcohol and drugs to mask pain and fear instead of trying to address them head-on. I still hurt, I am still angry. I still have something to learn. I hope someday I can forgive him and myself, and I am actively working on that. I just keep repeating to myself, life is not about your challenges or failures, it is about how you learn and move on that truly matters.

I will pursue a Bachelor's and PH.D. in Marine Biology. I would like to use my education and credentials to teach Marine Sciences, pursue research in preserving oceanic life, and use my knowledge and research to effect policy change to protect this invaluable, achingly beautiful natural space. I am also a gay man. The ocean is one of the last earthly mysteries, a deep, dark, brilliant frontier that we will never truly, understand. It's also a resource critical to each living thing on the planet, one that must be preserved. There is a myriad of research showing the health of the ocean is vital to our survival yet we are destroying it. We must find a solution. I want to be a part of that solution. I am young, and still have a lot to learn. I do not know exactly how I can effect change and help, but I know I have to try. I need to be a part of that solution. So, why oceans? What pulled me to the water? My father is an alcoholic. Most of my weekends as a young child consisted of my mother getting me out of the house on Saturday and Sunday mornings to avoid his hangovers. My mom would often take me to my local zoo, which had a large aquarium building. It was initially an opportunity to escape to a different world, exotic and fascinating and beautiful and wonderful. It became so much more to me though. I began to learn everything I could about the ocean. My first beach visit was like I had an awakening, according to my mom as I was pretty young... she said I didn't want to leave the water. Over the years, I spent a lot of time at the beach and in the water. We started snorkeling when I was five or six, and it was then, swimming with my mom through coral reefs, I really did find my happy place. Over the years, we visited the same coral reefs, and while they were still amazing, I could see the decline in the health of the reefs, just year to year. I started learning as much about reefs as I could. It was clear to me that protecting and preserving the health of our coral reefs would be a critical piece of saving our planet. One of the reasons I chose to attend my high school was the aquariums in the biology wing. I knew it was the place for me. After the last few years of presiding over the Marine Biology club, caring for the aquariums I obtained my PADI certification and went to Hawaii. The trip was a three week trip in the summer, and was essentially a marine biology course with afternoons open to enjoy all the Hawaiian waters could offer. I excelled academically, but more than that, I felt at home there. Hawaii also felt very open-minded, and the culture seemed supportive of my sexuality in a way that Ohio does not. What started out as a way to escape became my passion. Yet, it continues to be a solace to me. Before I left for Hawaii, I came out to my father. He told me he could no longer see me. My mother will be sending me to college without any assistance from my father, and that's okay. I want to do this without him. I cannot wait to start my undergraduate career and keep moving forward in pursuit of a dream that will allow me to nurture my passion and perhaps contribute to saving everyone's whole world.

I will pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Biology during my undergraduate career, and aim to go on to obtain my Ph.D. in the same. I would like to use my education and credentials to teach Marine Sciences, pursue research in preserving coral reefs and oceanic life, and use my knowledge and research to effect policy change to protect this invaluable, achingly beautiful natural space. The ocean is one of the last earthly mysteries, a deep, dark, brilliant, vast frontier that we will never, truly, completely understand and know. It's also a resource critical to each living creature on the planet, one that must be preserved for the benefit of the creatures living within diverse waters, and for humans. There is a myriad of research that shows the health of the ocean, of our water, is vital to our survival yet we are destroying this beautiful space. We are at a point in our history where we little choice but to solve this problem, to try to turn the clock back and undo some of the damage we have done. I want to be a part of that solution. I am young, and still have a lot to learn. I do not know exactly how I can effect change and help, but I know I have to try. I need to be a part of that solution. So, why oceans? What pulled me to the water? My father is an alcoholic. Most of my weekends as a young child consisted of my mother getting me out of the house on Saturday and Sunday mornings to avoid his hangovers. My mom would often take me to my local zoo, which had a large aquarium building. It was initially an opportunity to escape to a different world, exotic and fascinating and beautiful and wonderful. It became so much more to me though. I began to learn everything I could about the ocean. My first beach visit was like I had an awakening, according to my mom as I was pretty young... she said I didn't want to leave the water. Over the years, I spent a lot of time at the beach and in the water. We started snorkeling when I was five or six, and it was then, swimming with my mom through coral reefs, I really did find my happy place. Over the years, we visited the same coral reefs, and while they were still amazing, I could see the decline in the health of the reefs, just year to year. I started learning as much about reefs as I could. It was clear to me that protecting and preserving the health of our coral reefs would be a critical piece of saving our planet. One of the reasons I chose to attend my high school was the aquariums in the biology wing. I knew it was the place for me. After the last few years of presiding over the Marine Biology club, caring for the aquariums I obtained my PADI certification and went to Hawaii. The trip was a three week trip in the summer, and was essentially a marine biology course with afternoons open to enjoy all the Hawaiian waters could offer. I excelled academically, but more than that, I felt at home in the water. What started out as a way to escape became my passion. I cannot wait to start my undergraduate career and keep moving forward in pursuit of a dream that will allow me to nurture my passion and perhaps contribute to saving everyone's whole world. Thank you.