I am a Latina woman studying Earth and Environmental Science in Boston, previously studying another STEM subject (mathematics). I did not fully realize what exactly I was going to study until this past summer, but my entire life has involved problem-solving and thinking of creative solutions with a curiosity for animals and the environment. There is a picture of me from when I was in kindergarten in my house with a caption saying that I wanted to learn more about butterflies when I grew up. I went on to take classes in college on higher-level math like differential equations and applied mathematics. It was challenging, but my mom taught me how to persevere, and I embraced the challenge because I knew that I would learn from it and use those skills later on. I then followed my interest into biology and the environment, and I have never been happier or more passionate about a subject. I want to help the environment, I want to help the world, and so badly I want to protect the plants, animals, and all organisms that make up our world. I considered going into a non-STEM-related field, but STEM has my whole heart, no matter what anyone says. I am a hands-on learner, and I discovered through my classes that I love actively participating in research. The math, the science, just watching the behavior of plants and animals are all so incredibly fascinating to me. STEM is so important for the world in all aspects, and I love that I will become and am a Latina in STEM. As a Latina coming from a low-income household, raised by a single mom, I was raised to think practically but also outside the box, and to use the materials available to me. This is what science is. Every day, there is something new to calculate, observe, and discover, all while being creative. My interest in a STEM field honestly does not come from a single experience but from my entire life of being constantly curious and creative. The world around every single one of us is fascinating and beautiful, and science and math are some of the best ways to observe and explain our world. STEM is woven into practically every fiber of our lives; many cannot see that, but those who can see it appreciate the world on a whole other level. A reason why I love being a woman in STEM is that I can see the beauty of math, science, engineering, etc., in almost everything, whether it is the natural world or the world we humans have created for ourselves. My interest in a STEM field stems from being curious about absolutely everything and actively trying to see why and how things are the way they are. Whether that is how organisms can hear and create sounds, or how plants grow, or how animals and plants interact with each other, everything. I love learning about all of this, and I want to be able to continue learning and studying so that I may be able to then actively participate and help the world, so that we do not lose the beauty of our world and all the interactions involved.

I am so grateful for how I grew up, being raised by a single parent, because otherwise, I would be struggling so much in college and life in general. My mom and I had to raise each other at times, and we both learned how to navigate through a world that seemed against us at every turn. By being raised in a low-income and single-parent household, I learned how to think outside the box when obstacles arose, and it taught me grit because I knew that things could be much worse if I did not keep pushing through. I am studying environmental science because I want to help the world around me and the people I care about. My life experience has taught me how to deal with tough situations, how to think on my feet, problem-solve as best as I can, and be immensely proud of who I am and what I am passionate about. My mom taught me to be strong and stand tall when the world wants to knock me down. My mom is my role model and the image of perseverance. She endured so much but kept working through it and working hard to provide a life that she and I could enjoy and be proud of. I am immensely proud of her and the life we have experienced. Today, I'm passionate about helping the environment, the world, because my mom pushed me to care. Though I came from humble beginnings, I know I can do great things, and my mom made sure of that through hard work and perseverance. I cannot give up. And I will not give up.

I am passionate about protecting the environment because there is almost nothing more beautiful than the natural world. Our whole world is covered with beauty that deserves respect and appreciation. The environment is incredibly important in so many different aspects; it can help humans' mental health, physical health, and overall well-being, as well as provide a beautiful world that should not be overlooked. My studies focus on how large and small organisms interact with one another, both in their natural environment and on the consequences of habitat fragmentation from humans. My aim is to combine my studies with humans, merging human development with the natural world again. Walking through a city like Boston, for example, you see the wonderful architecture and all the people moving through the city in one moment, but you get hit by the wind from massive wind tunnels the next moment, experiencing extreme temperatures - both hot and cold - because there's such a decrease in natural green space and tree cover. Having fewer green spaces and tree cover has a major influence on the local climate and weather, and affects people's mental and physical health. A study was done where they had one group of people live in an area with a few green spaces and another group with no green spaces, and the researchers found that the group living with a few green spaces had less anxiety and improved mental health compared to the other group with no green spaces. With more green spaces, there is improved mental health among people, but also a more temperate climate, improved air quality, and improved standard of living because areas with more natural features improve the standard of living immensely. I want to integrate more green spaces in cities, advocate for preserving and expanding natural corridors like the Yukon-Yellowstone Corridor, and implement them in more places around the world. Conservation should not be "country-specific," it has to be a global initiative. I'm currently researching the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon and how that has been impacting the local population and the impacts of losing the Amazon on a global scale. By losing millions of hectares of forests and natural habitats, greenhouse gas emissions have been increasing steadily and steeply as a major source of carbon sequestration is being lost. My advice to my family and friends is to support practices that don't support deforestation, to buy more of their food from local producers and vendors, and to reduce their meat consumption, or at least be more conscious of where their meat comes from and shop for more ethically and environmentally responsible sources. Climate change is an incredibly real thing, but it is possible to gradually reduce its effects. It will not be perfect by any means because a lot has already been done at this point, but changes have to be made so that we can continue to experience a world of beauty and incredible biodiversity. We must be kind to the environment because not only are we a part of the environment, but it is essential for our own well-being, and we need the environment more than it needs us. We must take care of the environment and all the wonderful things it holds, big and small.