As a 2nd year in college people often ask me what my major is, and I tell them I am an earth systems science major. After that, they usually say how cool it is that I have my major planned out and that it doesn’t really matter because I will probably change it anyways. The thing is, I don’t want to change. I love my field, though I have yet to take many classes on it, I am so excited to learn. Looking back, I planned out what I wanted to do a long time ago, I just didn’t realize it.
As a camper at Rock-N-Water Christian Camps a long time ago, I was opened to an entire world that I had no idea existed. Before going to rock-n-water I had very little experience outdoors. Sure, I knew what a waterfall was and the concept of water thundering down a canyon to make rapids, I just never experienced with my own eyes before. But when I saw so much green foliage in contrast to giant grey and black walls of stone surrounding the area put me in another dimension. This is a place I knew I belonged in. Being in the chilly water felt so foreign, yet just like the pool back at school I played water polo in. Seeing everyone there share this love of nature I knew I had to be a part of it. So I did.
I volunteered at the summer program, then became a full-fledge guide the next summer, each year I work I grew so much more. My infatuation with the wild is what brings me back each year and drives me to preserve it. The thought of the next generation being unable to experience what I hold so dearly drives me to protect it.
I want to find ways to preserve Earth’s resources so they can be enjoyed indefinitely, learning about systems that can decrease the pollution and destruction happening constantly. I love the aesthetic beauty God has put all around us and I want my job to be its protector. I may not know exactly how to do that just yet, but I know I have the passion to preserve this place for all to enjoy.
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