Affects of a Simple Project by Kerri

Affects of a Simple Project by Kerri - December 2016 Scholarship Essay

I am most proud of my accomplishment in being awarded 1st place in the Environmental Science category at the district science fair in 2008. Not only was this my very first science fair, but this was also the beginning of my passion for the environment and my chosen career field. This one event, fueled and shaped my personality and interests.
This was the science fair in my 5th grade year. I was attending Head Middle Magnet school, which required the science fair. Now, my aunt is a science teacher, and she helped me find the topic I was interested in. It turned out to be about the environment. This project, titled “Ocean Wonders”, simulated the precipitation process and how much salinity was in the collected water. The set up for each box was the same, some variable soil, and a corner blocked off, just small enough to have water collect.
The variable was the type of soil, which included two types of fertilizer, sand, igneous rocks, topsoil, and mulch. They were placed outside in warm weather and samples of the liquid taken every week. The reading we were looking for was salinity in ppm (parts per million). The two fertilizers had the most salinity, but when the contents of the soil were checked, it appeared that they contained added salt.
This project was awarded 1st place Environmental Science not only at the local school science fair, but the district as well. This project began my passion and attitude about the environment. This passion, lives on today, as for it is my future career choice. I am very worried about our environment and how daily activities can impact our planet.
I began volunteering with many organizations that had to do with the environment. There is so much you can learn from just being outside and observing things. You can also see how our daily activities affect the world we live in. My passion and worry about our future is the main fuel for my desire to make our population much more efficient and environmentally friendly.
This one accomplishment, this one project, this award, means so much to me because of how it affected my future and shaped my thoughts about the earth. This is the reason why I have been interested in environmental science and have pursued this dream.