From Mr. Rogers to Forest Ranger: My Journey to Discovering My Passion in Environmental Science by Sara

From Mr. Rogers to Forest Ranger: My Journey to Discovering My Passion in Environmental Science by Sara - June 2017 Scholarship Essay

Throughout my childhood, there was one person that influenced me more than any other: Mr. Fred Rogers. My admiration went far beyond singing along to “Won’t You Be My Neighbor”; I remember sitting with my eyes glued incredibly close to our 10-inch screen listening to every word uttered by my ‘friend’. However, I remember one program in particular that influenced me more than any other; it was titled “Mr. Rogers Talks About the Environment”. In it, Mr. Rogers introduced my curious eyes to a topic that I know most 6 year olds are enthralled about-recycling.
Now, all kidding aside, I thought that Mr. Rogers was showing me pure magic. I had never heard of recycling before. Immediately, I remembered how I had just thrown a juice box in the garbage. My mother found me a few minutes later digging through the trash, desperately trying to find the drink. From that moment on, I was absolutely in love with the idea that I could save the Earth. And, after a vacation to Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains before my 7th birthday, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up: a forest ranger. Although still battling a fear of the dark, I knew that there was nowhere I would rather be than a forest. I imagined myself peering out from a fire tower or protecting wildlife from poachers and illegal hunting. As I grew up, I combined another one of my passions-horseback riding-with my conservation desires and realized that I would like to be a mounted forest ranger. While most of my friends had dreams of being a doctor or fireman, I imagined myself riding through Yosemite, wind in my hair, protecting a bear from a hunter; I dreamt of being a real hero-someone who could wake up everyday knowing that they have the opportunity to save a life and protect nature.
However, my passion was somewhat stifled by a lack of education. Throughout grade school, the environment was only disguised vaguely. We learned about layers of the atmosphere but never about the depletion of the ozone layer (or even the existence of the layer). I knew that 71% of the Earth is water, but no one taught me that the ice was melting at alarming rates. When I entered high school, therefore, I was absolutely enthralled to be enrolled in an Environmental Science course. My teacher was a self proclaimed hippy; she grew all of her own food, was a member of PETA, and belonged to the Green Party. She absolutely blew me away; I looked at her the same way I looked at my childhood hero Mr. Rogers. She encouraged me to pursue my love of the environment and mentored me through an extracurricular research project involving the creation of a prototype for a water filter to be used in countries dealing with water crises. I credit her entirely with my decision to major in environmental science-a major that I did not know existed until she introduced it to me.
Although I loved every science class that I took in high school, no class resonated with me as much as Environmental Science. No other class kept me up at late wondering what more I could do or what topic I should study next. While I enjoyed learning about physics, I never found myself immersed in research studies on new discoveries. Even though I absolutely adored chemistry class, I loved the lessons that related to environmental studies more than any other.
When I began searching for universities, I knew that I needed to find a college that specialized in the study of environmental science. I was amazingly lucky to stumble upon Soka University of America-one of the smallest colleges in the United States. After years of dedication to my passion, I am so pleased to be following the dreams of my childhood self by beginning the study of Environmental Science this August. Had it not been for the televised encouragement of Mr. Rogers and the advice from my high school teacher, I doubt I would have found any field that would allow me to save the earth while learning continuously and following my passion. Hopefully one day I will be able to complete my dream by joining the U.S. Park Service as a forest ranger, and I will able to become my own hero.