I have been an advocate for the environment in and out of school. In school, I have participated in NC State University's Grand Challenges Scholars Program as a researcher attempting to fully assemble the genome of Galleria mellonella, an organism that has enzymes in its saliva that biodegrade plastics better than any other naturally occurring substance. By isolating these genes, a solution could be synthesized that biodegrades plastic and helps solve the world's global plastic pollution crisis. Additionally, as the secretary of my high school's National Honor Society, I established a partnership with the town of Cary. This partnership gives our school a part of the Cary roadway where I help plan and set up community service events to remove trash and litter from the roads and sidewalks. I have also participated in my school's green/environmental club and volunteered in local community gardens. If I could plant a flag on the top of a mountain, it would say, "We were only given one earth; let us not waste it." I would say this because people are constantly destroying the world with little to no remorse. By reminding them that we were given only one planet and that once it is destroyed, we cannot save it, I can inspire them to become interested in saving the environment. I cannot solve this environmental problem alone, but by inspiring others, I can create a larger impact than ever before—a larger impact than could even be imagined.

At first glance, the world can seem like a horrible, daunting place. However, if you look deeper, you will see that there are still good people. I often thought the world was a kill-or-be-killed place where everyone looked out for themselves and disregarded everyone else. However, this all changed one day in the summer after 6th grade. I was riding my bike to the pool when my bike slid in some sand while I was trying to turn. I hit my head on a rock and was knocked unconscious (fortunately I was wearing a helmet), and I sliced my knee on a piece of slate sticking out of the ground. At the time, I didn't have a phone, so when I woke up, my only option was to walk back to my house, pushing my bike along with me. This was until a lady in the neighborhood saw me and pushed my bike home, walked with me, asked me if I was okay, and tried to keep me distracted from the wound in my knee (which ended up needing several stitches). I didn't really know the lady yet; she had stopped to help me, and in my sixth-grade mindset, this shattered my world perspective. Ever since this point in my life, I realized that all it takes is one person doing one good deed to completely reinvigorate the spark of joy and compassion in someone. Since this point, I have tried to dedicate as much of my time as possible to helping people. I invite people to my church (Hope Community Church) and school events, and I wave and smile at anyone I see to try to remind people that the world isn't against them. To try and show them what I believe in my heart, that even if they don't have anyone else, I am here, and I care for them and value them as a person. I also volunteered at an animal shelter (I had to stop because they recently stopped rescuing dogs at that location and consolidated to a much further away location) to help animals and people by finding these people a sweet dog who will bring them immense joy. Many of these families had kids who maybe didn't fit in at school or didn't have that many friends, and by volunteering here, I was able to give them the best gift in the entire world: a dog, a friend who would love them no matter what. I also volunteer at my church every week teaching kindergarteners. While most of these kids have good family and friends at school, some of them do not. I will continue to serve these kids from kindergarten, probably through middle school because I want to help them. If they ever need someone and don't have anyone else to turn to, I want them to know that I am there and will continue to be there no matter what. While I know a lot of what I do, like waving, smiling, and asking people how their day is going, it probably goes unnoticed or maybe is even found annoying by some people. To me, that couldn't matter less because I know that if I spend my life serving people through volunteering as a church leader or any other form of volunteering, by just being nice to as many people as I can, I know, eventually, I will make a difference in one person's life. And if I can help even just one person, just one person, when they need it most, my lifetime worth of effort will be worth it.