I have recently begun deepening my practice of self-reflection by considering how I can live a fulfilling life; I believe the answer lies in two important practices: being able to positively impact my community, and reaching a deeper understanding of the world through immersive study of cultures. My high school career and short time as a first semester college student has already provided me time to learn the basics of who I am and how I can effect positive change; one of my biggest barriers is figuring out the funding of my education. Because of my commitment to Advance Placement classes, I have already been able to study classes beyond fundamental credits this year, and have found the immersive and challenging nature of my environmental science and Spanish classes to further my passion for these topics. I aspire to be able to study in other parts of the United States or abroad to continue exposing myself to what makes us all so different and alike, and learn how to work through inequality issues towards global sustainability. Projects involving activism and outreach in my local community have enlightened me to the ways in which it is possible to better the lives of everyone through education and understanding. As Rachel Carson once eloquently wrote, "But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself". Ignorance is a weapon that divides us by leading to discrimination, arrogance and follies against the world we call home, but I believe education can transform the lives of myself and those from all walks of life for the better.