A Requirement That Became My Future by Brielle

A Requirement That Became My Future by Brielle - May 2018 Scholarship Essay

It was end of junior year and I still had a science requirement to fill. My options were between Oceanography and Environmental Science. I so badly wanted to take Oceanography with my high interest in the ocean and what lies within it. However, Oceanography wasn’t offered as an Advanced Placement course, therefore I was left with AP Environmental Science as my required science.

I have to say I wasn’t overjoyed to take AP Environmental Science. I heard the class was very informational and the teacher made all the topics more interesting, but still I figured what did I need to know besides cutting down trees is bad and not recycling is an offense to the ground I walk on. Like many times in my teenage years, I quickly discovered I was very wrong. There was so much I didn’t know when it came to my own impact on the environment. From big things like the unknown poisons that contaminate the Earth, to small things like the noises we make effecting the growth of trees, I learned it all. I grew sympathetic for the Earth I, and those around me, have treated so poorly for centuries. I wanted to do something about it, but didn’t quite know how one person, like myself, could correct such a huge issue.

I had always enjoyed the outdoors. Nothing clears my mind more than a quick bike ride out to a field to read, or paint, or simply sit and listen to the world go around me. This planet has taken such good care of me since my first breath providing me with physical necessities and mere sanity in my most stressful moments. How could I perform anything close to what the Earth has already done, I asked myself? Then my teacher offered an opportunity to volunteer picking up trash near a highway. I jumped at the chance, relieved I was finally getting to do something.

A group of us had carpooled to the river, which crosses underneath the bridge highway, with trash bags and gloves in hand. Some wore rubber suits to get into muddy areas and the rest of us got ready to go swimming and trudge through the woods. The amount of trash bags we had collected that day were unbelievably daunting. I had never seen so much trash. We were pulling out from the river floor, shrubs, piles of dirt and the root of trees. We found things like tire scraps, Styrofoam, jugs of who knows what, and plastic, just so much plastic. It was eye opening to see all this trash and realize it all came from this one little area under the highway. That trash could have ended up choking a bird or fish, contaminating someones food source, killing a lot of trees all because people lacked the knowledge on how important it is to recycle and place trash into a trash can.

It was from this experience that I learned the important role I have in doing my part for this Earth. I experienced a small fraction of injustice we do to this planet and I want to spread my knowledge of it so that others understand the importance of treating this Earth with the respect it deserves. I know that through these actions I can make an even larger impact with those who wish to do the same, spreading notions of conservation and love for this beautiful planet.