Why I chose a STEM Major by Nicholas

Why I chose a STEM Major by Nicholas - February 2025 Scholarship Essay

I chose a STEM Major because of how emotionally impacted I was by witnessing real devastation. In 2019 my family made a trip to Jamaica. I was so excited, we never could afford trips, but they had been saving and planning. Little did I know that this trip was more enlightening and educational than I had expected. We arrived in November just after Hurricane Beryl. Our family plan included excursion trips across the island. This was definitely an adventure, but it was also heartbreaking to see the devastation and destruction across the parishes. Kingston had the most damage. As our tour bus drove across the main road, I could see many houses leveled. Garbage appeared to be more of a normal landscape in many parts along with home rubble. Homelessness was apparent everywhere except the airport and the resort area where my family stayed. I started to think about all the garbage. What was happening to the landscape or the water surrounding the destruction. How much more damage was happening underneath with chemicals or decay? Many parts of the terrain on the inside of the island along the Blue Nile appeared unscathed. I fell in love with the jungle and all the mystery it held, but also wondered if it was in danger. I left Jamaica with more questions than answers.

I hope to evolve and contribute positive outcomes in environmental sustainability. Chemistry and organics, my focus, will guide me to preserve and sustain our environment providing best outcomes for damage control. Pollutants are our greatest enemy. Natural disasters are going to happen. It’s how we manage and deal with the clean up that makes a difference. If I plant myself strong, my ideas will grow and hopefully one day become fruitful like that Blue Nile jungle. I want to be able to learn how to analyze and assess potential impacts, develop damage plans analyzing potential threats that could significantly impact our life sustainability.

College means involvement and evolving, learning to be the best version of myself while gaining valuable skills to be productive and navigate life's challenges. I want to earn my degree and use what I have learned to have a positive impact. The challenges and obstacles that I have faced in high school have inspired me to always do better. I have learned resilience in life and know that the growth I will incur during my college years will propel me in a positive way.

I shine brightly mentoring younger kids. Whether it is refereeing youth hockey, teaching learn to skate, or just helping out one of my neighbors shovel their snow, I am proud of who I am and what I have accomplished. Rejections loom in a dark corner, but a ray of hope shines through to my future. Following a STEM major will be following a passion that is a part of who I am.