Human Kinds Impact on the Environment and a Class' Impact on Me by anya

Human Kinds Impact on the Environment and a Class' Impact on Me by anya - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

As an engineering major, my focus has never been what electives I would take throughout college. To be brutally honest, I dreaded having to spend my time taking elective classes instead of studying the millions of equations my physics professor just threw at me. However, even the most critical minds have the capability of change. In my second semester of my freshman year, I was practically pushed into an elective about the relationship between the environment and culture. When I first heard this topic I thought of it simply as a method of fulfilling a general requirement, now the topic means much more to me. The topics discussed throughout the entirety of the course will resonate within me for years to come, as it changed how I viewed my everyday life.
The class began by discussing human kind's impact on the environment. I was well aware of the negative influence we, as a race, have on the planet. However, I was not aware about the drastic extent of the impact. We spent a class period researching and discussing our yearly personal water usage. I was floored-and a little bit nauseated-by my results. I now make a conscious effort to monitor my water usage daily. The class consisted of many experiences just as eyeopening as this one. The clas made me significantly more aware of my individual impact on the environment.
The second half of the class spoke about how the environment effected the cultures in different countries. It was made evident that the environment is a focus point of many cultures. Food, holidays, and other traditions are heavily reliant on the surrounding environment. In the world we live in today, the distinct lines between different cultures are slowly getting blurred, some disappearing completely. Protecting the environment gained a whole new level of importance when I realized this. With the loss of environmental stability comes the loss of cultural stability. On top of this, the detriment of the environment will lead to colossal changes in lifestyle if it continues at the rate it is currently at.
Thanks to the elective that i was once so indifferent about having to take, I now plan to pursue a degree in renewable energy engineering. I want to make it my goal to educate others about their effects on the environment and work towards methods of lessening the harsh human impact on our planet's delicate environmental system. The 2 credit hour elective I almost didn't take changed the path I will be on for the rest of my life.