Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

As an adolescent, I would wake up at four in the morning to go fishing with my father and uncle. We would drive to the beach and see the sun rise as we cast our lines into the ocean, hoping to bring back fresh fish for the family. Although many times we were not successful, I always admired the beach for its beauty, which produced clear images in my head. I could hear the sound of the waves, the calls of the seagulls, and most importantly, the sparkle of the ocean water. I am a senior and currently live in California but it pains me to see what the world has become. People leave trash and pollute everywhere. So now, it is my turn to change the world. In the near future, I hope to major in environmental engineering at Carnegie Mellon or the University of California Berkeley. My interest in preserving nature only continued when I took an advanced placement course in environmental science at my high school. My teacher was an avid environmentalist and influenced me to do things that could help reduce the amount of damage to the environment that my daily activities caused. One of the most important things I did was shutting off light when not using them. Electricity is powered by coal companies, which release sulfur and carbon dioxide into the air, causing acid rain and global warming respectively. However, I felt that there was one more activity that I did that was more effective and also more adventurous for the body and mind. I would go to my backyard and plant trees to support the green movement. Also, I encouraged my family to start compost piles that would have us dispose of our organic wastes such as banana peels in an effective way. This method would help the soil because organic matter would decompose very easily as well as save space in landfills. Everyday, I would go outside to water the fruit trees in the backyard. Not only did they provide us with fruits but also help with the carbon cycle by recycling carbon throughout the air. It depresses me to see the planet that was once so beautiful being lost to industries and companies that release smog into the air. I hope that one day, people will become more aware of the environment and try to perform more environmentally friendly activities.