Due to the worldwide environmental movement, my Spanish teacher began teaching us to describe ways we could protect the earth using “las energías renovables,” meaning renewable energy. I excitedly told my teacher about my goal to pursue a career in environmental engineering until another student -I’ll call her Jill- inserted herself into our conversation and professed her disbelief in any future renewable energy could have. It didn’t bother me that her beliefs were different because every side must be considered when discussing science; but it was frustrating that while I listened to her and showed her more recent research on sustainable technology, she still refused to listen to me. It was discouraging knowing she takes the same advanced curriculum and learns about the same environmental problems as me, yet disregarded any solution I proposed. She refused to hope. Hope has been a deeply significant theme throughout my life. Families, for instance, greatly impact people and I met mine when I was a 9-month-old infant in Hunan, China. My parents flew across the ocean to adopt me and begin our family. I soon began school and some kids asked me if they were my "real parents", causing me to doubt my relationship with them. However, the hope and truth that they were my family returned because of my adoption group. Eighteen other children I knew were bonded to their families in the same way I was to mine, restoring my hope that mine was no less than families with biological children. I was about the age of seven when my father and I began our small, family garden hoping to grow healthier food to use in our meals and save money on groceries. In turn, tiling our dirt and spreading our seeds (and chasing my sister with a handful of worms) sparked my interest in exploring how the earth and the life upon it works and our relationship with it. As I grew up I began hearing and learning about climate change and its potential effects on the future of the world. Imagining whole communities and countries being devastated by unnatural natural disasters, caused by the buildup of fossil fuel emissions and toxic substances that destroy ecosystems, drove me to pursue a future to protect the earth. This passion and my love of science led me to pursue a career in developing and advancing renewable technology. In addition to its environmental effects, helping people become energy independent is an important issue that needs to be addressed especially in these trying times with European countries having to choose between protecting democracy in Ukraine or keeping their businesses functioning. In either case, energy has a strong hand in determining political issues as well as environmental. The idea that the next solar or nuclear technology could benefit energy sovereignty for millions around the world is truly mind-blowing and I aspire to work with the engineering teams that lead in developing those creations. During college, I hope to not only learn from my professors about the principles of engineering but work with them and my colleagues to find creative solutions to large problems. In a world divided by many problems, I’d like to collaborate with others to solve them in hopes that future generations will have a chance at ceasing the war on peace in the world.

The silly and reassuring light I radiate to those around me is something that I love about myself because the smiles I create reassure me it is more meaningful to be proud of my character rather than my accomplishments. Before I had gone to public school in Fulton I spent elementary school in Syracuse where I made lifelong friends and connections. In Syracuse, I was a cheerful and bright student, unbound and free to be myself and unafraid of mistakes. When I started high school in Fulton I barely spoke up in class or reached out to other people in fear I’d make a fool of myself. I was insecure around my classmates and only laughed when the rest of the room did. Then one day I was encouraged to audition for the school musical because I was in many school productions back in Syracuse. I made the ensemble and surrounding myself with the rest of the cast and crew broke me out of the shell I previously hid inside. I could be joyous without judgment and quirky without being questioned. Mistakes were made when I sang and steps were missed when I danced but I felt freer than before to express my cheerful and silly nature. That first high school production allowed me to silence the voices in my head that screamed insecurities and released the girl that makes her friends smile when they’re sad and laugh when it’s quiet. She is no longer afraid to defend a friend or the ideas that formulate in her head. She dances in the rain and holds the hands of those who lost mothers during a pandemic. I am endlessly proud of that girl who wears hope on her sleeve and love her for how much she’s grown.

Through climbing trees and starting a family garden before the age of ten, nature has always been an element of my life that allows me to escape the chaos and worries that the world brings. When my fifth-grade science teacher taught us about the climate crisis a switch went off inside me and for the past seven years, I’ve aspired to make a career out of helping heal and preserve the planet. While many have told me that there is no point in wasting money to stop climate change I have known that the purpose of all these things is less to extend the lifespan of life on earth but rather to better the quality of life for people and ecosystems suffering due to the effects of fossil fuels, plastics and more. If people like me can improve the lives of a small area so they have access to clean water or air then that feeling of fulfillment will make every effort worth it. During the 2021 Breakthrough Junior Challenge, I was able to share the latest research in transparent solar technology with the world and help myself better understand the true potential of renewable energy sources. It was a truly immersive project in which I learned more than I ever expected about growing technology like transparent solar cells and bladeless wind turbines. Projects like the Breakthrough Junior Challenge and the college-level Global Environment course I am taking all have allowed me to greater understand nature and our relationship with it as humans, allowing me to better appreciate it. I aspire to become an environmental engineer after college and continue this journey for the betterment of the world around me and its future.

When I learn about green technology like bladeless wind turbines and transparent solar panels, it sends a rush through me to spread this nuance and hope. I discovered an opportunity on Instagram to become an educator and teach others about developing green technology. An annually held competition called the Breakthrough Junior Challenge was a platform where I could make a video to share my knowledge internationally. Conducting research for the project reminded me that although my steps to building a better future may seem small, they will add up to become a truly meaningful and impactful creation with the help of others. I didn’t win the challenge but competing showed me that the future is in the present and that my generation must make it happen, or else it will always remain the future. Transparent solar cells would have been unthinkable twenty years ago but are being developed today, giving skyscraper windows the potential to produce energy. I hope that working with my college professors to advance my knowledge will allow me to create innovations of my own to help the world. Pursuing a male-dominated and relatively unexplored field may introduce me to people who have little hope in me, but my experiences prove that I have more hope in myself and in my ideas to change the future. With a college education and determination, hope for a more environmentally friendly future through green technology could become a reality.

When I learn about green technology like bladeless wind turbines and transparent solar panels, it sends a rush through me to spread this nuance and hope. I discovered an opportunity on Instagram to become an educator and teach others about developing green technology. An annually held competition called the Breakthrough Junior Challenge was a platform where I could make a video to share my knowledge internationally. Conducting research for the project reminded me that although my steps to building a better future may seem small, they will add up to become a truly meaningful and impactful creation with the help of others. I didn’t win the challenge but competing showed me that the future is in the present and that my generation must make it happen, or else it will always remain the future. Transparent solar cells would have been unthinkable twenty years ago but are being developed today, giving skyscraper windows the potential to produce energy. I hope that working with my college professors to advance my knowledge will allow me to create innovations of my own to help the world. Pursuing a male-dominated and relatively unexplored field may introduce me to people who have little hope in me, but my experiences prove that I have more hope in myself and in my ideas to change the future. With a college education and determination, hope for a more environmentally friendly future could become a reality.

When I learn about green technology like bladeless wind turbines and transparent solar panels, it sends a rush through me to spread this nuance and hope. I discovered an opportunity on Instagram to become an educator and teach others about developing green technology. An annually held competition called the Breakthrough Junior Challenge was a platform where I could make a video to share my knowledge internationally. Conducting research for the project reminded me that although my steps to building a better future may seem small, they will add up to become a truly meaningful and impactful creation with the help of others. I didn’t win the challenge but competing showed me that the future is in the present and that my generation must make it happen, or else it will always remain the future. Transparent solar cells would have been unthinkable twenty years ago but are being developed today, giving skyscraper windows the potential to produce energy. I hope that working with my college professors to advance my knowledge will allow me to create innovations of my own to help the world. Pursuing a male-dominated and relatively unexplored field may introduce me to people who have little hope in me, but my experiences prove that I have more hope in myself and in my ideas to change the future. With a college education and determination, hope for a more environmentally friendly future could become a reality.

When I learn about green technology like bladeless wind turbines and transparent solar panels, it sends a rush through me to spread this nuance and hope. I discovered an opportunity on Instagram to become an educator and teach others about developing green technology. An annually held competition called the Breakthrough Junior Challenge was a platform where I could make a video to share my knowledge internationally. Conducting research for the project reminded me that although my steps to building a better future may seem small, they will add up to become a truly meaningful and impactful creation with the help of others. I didn’t win the challenge but competing showed me that the future is in the present and that my generation must make it happen, or else it will always remain the future. Transparent solar cells would have been unthinkable twenty years ago but are being developed today, giving skyscraper windows the potential to produce energy. I hope that working with my college professors to advance my knowledge will allow me to create innovations of my own to help the world. Pursuing a male-dominated and relatively unexplored field may introduce me to people who have little hope in me, but my experiences prove that I have more hope in myself and in my ideas to change the future. With a college education and determination, hope for a more environmentally friendly future could become a reality.

When most people think of giving, things that come to mind may be Christmas or birthday gifts or money to charity. But to me, giving is more than material or monetary goods. I give my effort to the many clubs and varsity sports teams I am a part of. In my high school’s drama club, giving effort is everything that makes a show great and it doesn’t require money. The audience can tell if an actor, actress, or tech crew member is giving their best effort; it can be seen and heard with every note in a song and each detail in a set. The way I give my time and effort in our school performances has translated to my desire to give what I can when I attend college. I hope to give in more ways during my college career and in my future (perhaps contributing to someone else’s future) as an environmental engineer. Growing up in a world where there are people my age ingesting microplastics from food and suffering from fossil fuel byproducts drives me to devote my time and energy combating these problems so future generations will have a better chance at living without the same or worsened problems. To give something is to use one’s actions or words in the name of selflessness and for the betterment of others which is something I am intent on doing for the rest of my life.

Superhero and princess movies impact how children perceive themselves and different genders. The first movies I watched portrayed men as strong and independent, whereas women needed saving and weren’t strong like their male counterparts. Movie characters, politicians, and workers alike are all role models for the upcoming generations which is why sharing stories about impactful women in history empower females everywhere and influence how they pursue their futures. It makes sense that only 27% of the STEM workforce is made up of women considering the only scientists many are taught about in schools are Einstein and Tesla, while Curie and Franklin go unnoticed. Even the research for developing RNA vaccines is credited towards a woman, Dr. Karikó, but of whom many people have never heard of. The problem isn’t merely that there aren’t enough female role models for girls to look up to, more so that women go unseen and are underappreciated for their work as opposed to their male counterparts. Providing recognition and appreciation of women in school education such as recognizing historical figures in history classes can help inspire young women to explore career paths they may have thought were not available to them. It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school when I took a trip with my Drawing and Design for Production teacher and some other girls to Lockheed Martin for a Women In Engineering event when I realized there were so many other girls my age who were considering pursuing a career in STEM. The only other women I knew who had jobs in STEM were my friend’s mother and a distant cousin I barely knew. But now a whole hall of high school girls was looking to pursue fields in STEM like me. Those girls -though I didn’t know them personally- gave me the confidence to be ambitious about my future just as movie characters reassure children that their dreams to become an archaeologist like Indiana Jones or a professional surfer like Bethany Hamilton are possible. The role models children have in their lives greatly impact their dreams and ambitions, but girls in particular struggle to pursue those dreams and ambitions if they don’t know of any women like them who were brave enough to change the norms in society to do what they are passionate about. It is stories about women like Loretta Walsh who was the first woman to enlist in the US military and Elizabeth Bragg who became the first female engineer in the US that will continue to inspire young women to overcome the social barriers put on them. Ways to spread these untold stories to women who need to hear them are by working with historians to share untold stories on public platforms like news and children’s television networks to reach various audiences and more specifically, the upcoming generations. Many news channels have weekly or monthly segments on topics like fashion trends and recipes that are not related to current political or social events; these segments could be used to tell the millions of stories of impactful women in history as well as modern times. Imagine those superhero movies being watched by kids and their families at home, and at the end, those kids are shown a two-minute segment on how Sybil Ludington was an American hero. Women empowerment is an ever-growing movement too large for any single person or small group to tackle, and so reaching out to broad and diverse audiences and giving credit to women of the past is an insightful way to empower the female dreamers and workers now and to come.