Perpetual by Natalia

Perpetual by Natalia - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

When I was six years old I remember walking into my room for the first time after my mom had just remodeled it. The walls were blue, and strings of seaweed seemed to sway back forth on the walls, dancing next to the life-like orca and other marine mammals painted in great detail. There was even a sunken treasure chest with costume jewelry hot-glued to the the opening, making it seem as if the chest was tangible. My room was a glamorized under-the-sea mural, a depiction of one of my favorite things in the world - the ocean.
My love for the ocean inspired my aspiration to one day become a marine biologist, an unwavering hope, never changing careers from the first time I saw the ocean, to my current enrollment as a marine science major.
When I was younger, I would always pick out books that had sharks and whales on the front cover, wanting to learn more about the ocean. Back then, I was more interested in marine mammals, and wanted to learn more about them, my favorite being the dolphin. As my passion for marine science grew, so did my spectrum of what I was interested in.
My innocent love for a cute creature developed into a love for the whole ocean, not just for a few select animals. This evolution happened around middle school, when in science class my teacher showed us a video about the ocean floor, and towards the end of the school year when my class went on a field trip to a boat on the marina, in which we analyzed the microscopic plankton in the sea and the patterns of waves.
As time went on so did my knowledge about the sea. As my junior year of high school approached, I was ecstatic to finally be able to have a schedule where I had more elective options, and my eyes looked straight at the marine biology course offered at my high school. I wanted to join the class not only because at that point I knew that I wanted to be a marine biologist, but also because before this I had never taken an actual course pertaining to my interest, I had only read a book or short online post about marine science. However, because I was in the Magnet Program, I was required to take certain classes for school, and so instead of taking marine biology, I had to take Introduction to Business instead. So, although I never had the opportunity to the class in school, my interest never faded.
It wasn't until the past couple of years that my want to become a marine biologist actually meant something more than knowing about the creatures and mechanics behind it. Inspired by many activist groups and environmentally-aware individuals, I started to recognize more environmental issues that were very prevalent in today's society, issues severely affecting the ocean. Joining clubs such as Animal Allies, and researching groups such as EPA, is really one of the first times in my life where my career meant something. Becoming an expert in the subject is great, but what really matters is what you plan to do with that knowledge to benefit the future.
For example, in my Intro to Business class I had to create a business plan, and my idea was to create an app that focused on reducing pollution, a first step to reducing the harmful effects of modern civilization.
In pursuing my perpetual dream of becoming a marine biologist, I have transformed my interest from a trivial love to an invested importance. I hope that in becoming a marine biologist I will not only be able to help reduce harmful effects to the ocean and the environment, but I will also be able to help uncover some of the secrets of the deep.