Knowledge is power and I hope to do something that helps people make more informed decisions, therefore having a more powerful impact on their society. I am not completely sure about what I want to do for a career. However I know I would like to study something in chemistry; either environmental, forensic, theoretical, or chemical engineering. I first became interested in chemistry in fifth grade when I bought a book on all the different elements. I loved learning about how the periodic table works and found it really interesting that the elements were what made up everything. Though I am only a sophomore in high school and do not truly know if this is what I am going do, there were other points in my life which further reassured my interest in the subject. For example, last year I read a book called the "Disappearing Spoon" by Sam Keen. I absolutely loved that book and it piqued my curiosity in chemistry further.

I am currently taking Chemistry in school which is the first time I have taken a class that is solely focused on that subject. I am also currently taking Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus and plan on continuing to take as many different math classes as I can because I know that math is an integral part of Chemistry and I also just thoroughly enjoy that subject. I am also currently taking Engineering. Even though I may not become an engineer, the thinking and hands-on skills will certainly be beneficial. These math and science classes that I have taken so far will definitely help with what I would like to do. Though I may not love my English or Social Studies classes, I know that the writing and reasoning skills that I learn there are often a basic requisite in any career I may pursue.

Last year I was in Key Club (a volunteering organization in our school) and Envirothon (a club and competition that is about testing and recognizing different features of Maryland's natural environment). I plan on joining both again this year because they were both very formative experiences. Key Club helped me realize all the different things I could do for my community and in Envirothon I was able to learn about all the wildlife and plants that are unique to this state. Key Club showed the importance about having a goal and doing what you can to achieve it, club officers often made donation goals and we had to do what we could to meet them. Envirothon helped with my teamwork skills because I had to collaborate with my team during the test for the competition so that we could figure out the best answer. I was also in the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra last year which is not affiliated with the school. This taught me patience and dedication because the pieces we were playing were often difficult and I had to take the time to slowly learn them and get them ready for our performance. Furthermore, this summer I worked as a lifeguard. I believe this will be advantageous to any career I choose because I learned how to work with others and obtained some sort of customer service experience.

When I graduate high school, I plan on going to a four-year college to get a degree in something pertaining to chemistry. I know that whatever career I go after will require a college degree. College degrees also open a lot of doors in any STEM field.

When I become a chemist, no matter what field of chemistry I choose, I hope to make a positive impact on my community and help people understand our world a little better. Knowledge is definitely power and learning more about our world and what it is made up of will help people make more informed decisions. If I decided to go into environmental engineering, I hope to come up with solutions for problems relating to climate change that affect my community and the whole world. Even if I, alone, won't have a huge impact on this world, I hope to be a part of a group that does and contribute in any way I can.