My favorite tech was invented exactly 10 years ago, it is the CRISPR genome editing technology- specifically for plants. I have always been a plant lover. I see much beauty and value in the natural world around us. The Earth is full of beautiful plant life that can offer so much to all of us if we only go outside and seek it. CRISPR allows for plant life to be even more beneficial to those who need it. CRISPR gene editing technology allows plants to be introduced to desirable traits. The plant is directly genetically modified, which takes away the risk of crossing plants which may lead to undesirable traits. This technology has revolutionized agriculture, allowing plants to produce higher-quality products in larger volumes. This technology has so much potential to be used for the betterment of people. By producing more food, food-insecure individuals could be given assistance that would be more difficult without the increase in good-quality crops that CRISPR makes possible. I plan to contribute research and education to our world. I am planning to major in plant science with a minor in education. I plan to become a horticulturist in a botanical garden; allowing me to study plants and what makes them thrive, and to educate the public about why plants are so important. Environmental issues are very present in our world. Ecosystems are destroyed for projects with the goal of "bettering our country." But while these projects, such as "The Willow Project"- an oil drilling project in Alaska; may benefit the economic state of our nation, they will destroy ecosystems and wreak havoc on our natural world. We only have one Earth, it is our home and we must protect it. I want to use my research and education to open people's eyes to the beauty and importance of our environment. Where would we be without natural organisms? We would not breathe, eat, or drink- we would not live. The environment is what brings us life- so is it fair for us as humans, deeming ourselves superior, to bring death and destruction to the life around us? Nature would thrive without humans. Humans will die without nature. I hope to open people's eyes to this truth, that we must cherish and protect all that is around us. I want to grow plants and help them thrive. And I want to plant seeds in the minds of the people of this world. A seed that will quickly grow into an understanding and appreciation of all of the beauty that is around us.

I had expected the year 2019 to be a good one. I was so excited about the future and the fun I had ahead of me. But it was not a good year, and I did not happily spend my time with my friends; I spent time in the oncology unit, holding my mother's hand, terrified of losing her. By the third day, it was already the worst year of my life. On January 3rd, my mom went to the hospital to get an ovarian cyst removed. No one in my family was worried about this procedure, this kind of thing happens to women all the time, and they walk away completely fine. But this feeling changed when we realized the nurse was leading our family into the oncology unit after the surgery. The cyst, which we were not worried about, was the product of ovarian cancer. I felt like my world shattered. I had never had a time in my life where I had the possibility of losing someone, especially not the woman who brought me into the world. My mom is my rock. She has seen me through every struggle I have experienced. And then, all of a sudden, there is this chance of losing the most important person in my life. I did what most teenagers would do: I shut down. For months, all I could do was cry and fear the future. I tried to see the good in the situation; they caught it early, and the treatments helped, but it was impossible. All I could think about was how much pain my mom felt, and how I could not do anything to help her. She was so brave throughout the whole time, and I tried so hard to be strong for her, but I could not. I felt so helpless as I watched her lose her hair to chemo and saw her kidneys fail because of the chemo. It ripped me apart to see her feeling so sick every day, and the fact that I could not do anything to relieve what she was dealing with ate away at me. But it got better, and she got better. She went through 2 months of chemo before they had to stop because of her kidneys. Then after the chemo, they monitored her and continued to treat her in other ways, and she was able to recover. Watching my mom handle such a scary time with such peace was truly inspiring. She never lost hope and she would never let me lose hope. She taught me what true strength is, and how important it is to face the hardships that come my way. Despite how terrifying of a season this was, I learned and grew so much because of it. I learned to cherish every moment; you don’t realize how much you need people in your life until you have the chance of losing them. The amount of fear I had has fueled me to pour myself into the people in my life so much more than I did before. I also learned the importance of keeping hope for the future. My mom embodied this beautifully, even when I couldn’t understand how she did. She carried on every day with grace and peace, despite the thing that was eating away at her. She never lost her smile or spirit, it was inspiring. My mom showed me what it truly means to be brave, she is and always will be the strongest woman I know, and our experience has forever shaped me into the person I am today.