The crazy lady from the coffee shop by Morgan

The crazy lady from the coffee shop by Morgan - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

A woman came into my job recently. I was working on my physics homework and she immediately asked me to quiz her (she had studied biology in college). A conversation between us about math, science and education arose. When I told her I didn’t want to be a physicist, and I told her no, I wanted to work in environmental science, she said to me: “Now that’s something I can work with.” We talked for a long time about the importance of the environment to the human race, and how it needed a break from the stresses of human impact. I’ve never had a conversation like that with a customer. That conversation inspired me to challenge myself academically and societally.

I grew up with a natural understanding of most things. I was a logical child who asked questions about how things worked and when someone told me the answer, it made sense to me. As I grew older, the concepts got broader and more complicated with a lack of simple answers. It intrigued me to try and understand these things.

I struggled to decide on my goals when I was younger, just like every other 14 year old when they are first asked what they want to do with the rest of their life. Your frontal lobe is nowhere close to fully formed, and your hormones are running rampant. How are you supposed to make a decision?

I bounced around with ideas for my future. From painter, to broadway actor, psychologist, environmental engineer, and back to psychologist, I just didn’t know what to do. The more I thought about it as senior year approached, the more I looped back to my seventh grade environmental science class. The class that had me looking forward to coming to school, even if it was 7:15 in the morning and still a little bit dark outside. I also found myself more invested and reactive to environmental issues going on in the world. From melting glaciers, to my own hometown not getting snowy Christmases anymore. The more I thought about it, I knew I had to do something with the environment.

I’ve been a natural leader since I was young. People called me bossy or annoying, but I didn’t let it get in the way of my growth and pursuit of my goals. The only way I could achieve the things I wanted was to tackle them head on and work hard at it. I work strongly in leadership roles, for example, I was Captain of the Varsity volleyball and swim/dive teams at my school, Vice President of the National Art Honor Society, page editor for the school newspaper, and projects like group assignments or committees. My leadership skills and experience, paired with a natural curiosity to solve problems have given me a strong foundation to build my academic prowess and career. Now I know I want to make a difference for the environment’s preservation and I want to make an impact for future generations.

Assessing my passion for the environment and my leadership skills combined, I came to the conclusion of a degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability. With this education I could make real change and use my skills and knowledge for good.