I grew up in rural, impoverished Appalachia. As far as amazing opportunities, they are hard to come by in an area like this. Usually when people my age get a chance to leave this place, they do. However, I am different. This region of the US is beautiful and contains gorgeous state parks and forests. As a child, I grew up playing in the woods because that is all we had. Therefore, nature has always been my friend. I am very passionate about protecting our environment and resources because we only have so much at our disposal. Our Earth is sacred and we should treat it with the most respect we can. Our Appalachian Mountains are over 480 million years old and is one of the most biodiverse places in the US. My passion to protect and preserve them is one of the most important responsibilities I can think of. Not only do I feel ardent on the conservation of Appalachia, but on the people who inhabit it as well. I grew up raising chickens and come from a long line of farmers. Farming and agriculture is what my county thrives on and what a lot of people survive on. Because of this, I wanted to have a job in a bigger area. The thought of staying around Appalachia with no promise of ever leaving scared me, but now I realize that I am destined to be here forever. And that is okay. I realized that my love of the Earth fueled my passion to protect it. I decided to become and Environmental Science major and take part in as many opportunities for volunteer work and experience as I could. This way, I could learn more about my environment and most importantly, how to prevent it from global warming. My studies would contribute to the conservation, research, and solutions to climate change. Along with that, my major will play a role in safeguarding the future of not only my area, but the globe. Our world grows older as each day progresses. We must all come together now and put a stop to any more permanent damage. As a society, we have to educate ourselves and others of ways to combat carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. As an environmental advocate, I encourage my family and loved ones to reuse and recycle as much as possible. Shop locally and support smaller businesses over shopping online. Grow gardens and start seed collections for the future. Become a conscious shopper and always use cloth grocery bags. Overall, understand the bigger problems start as small choices. I never thought I would become an environmental major. Once I realized how much I love and appreciate my home, I could not picture myself doing anything else. I hope to study and learn as much as I can about our Earth and create a better, cleaner environment for my community. I may not save the world, but together, we can help our planet.