Undergraduate /
How my environment shape my career aspirations [3]
Prompt #1 (freshman applicants)
Describe the world you come from - for example, your family, community or school - and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.
Throughout my teenage life, I have been mystified by the prospect of choosing the perfect career. I had grown accustomed to friends offering seemingly frivolous advice, yet it was the cliché, "Let your interests guide you", which directed me towards an environmental engineering career. The diverse environments I have lived in from New Hampshire to California, and the conservation-minded political climate of the Bay Area established a firm desire to further my understanding of nature.
As a young boy in New Hampshire, I was introduced to nature through a variety of outdoor recreations. During the freezing winters, I embraced skiing through evergreen forests and skating across the icy plains of frozen lakes. The Northeast was not all cold though. In the summertime, I cherished tubing alongside my brothers on Lake Winnipesaukee as a break from the drudgery of humid days. Growing up in the Northeast was enthralling, but that was hardly the beginning of my allure to nature.
In California, my intrigue towards nature matured as I adapted to my new Bay Area home nestled at the base of a steep foothill separating Fremont from an expanse of rolling hills. Our house was prone to mudslides, but as young boys, we were predisposed to explore the hill's rugged ascents. The hill was akin to a playground. Nearly everyday after elementary school, my gang of friends and I would climb up the hill, unearthing fossils, chasing deer, and constructing little forts. Out West, I learned to appreciate nature with blue skies and ideal weather, a rarity back in New Hampshire. The sunny weather enabled me to occasionally snowboard without a jacket and always wakeboard without a wetsuit. Our state's bounty of gorgeous scenery and prime recreations encouraged me to explore the environment and only fostered my love of nature.
I am aware that unless we preserve nature by our actions at home, nature's parks will not survive much longer. Living in the Bay Area, where the diverse population is incredibly environmentally friendly, substantially influenced my perception of the environment. Most Californians are actually concerned about human induced climate change. Despite national constraints, California has transcended much of the country's political squabbling over the environment, becoming a leader in environmental technology and innovation. The amalgamation of California's beautiful landscapes and environmental climate motivates me to aspire to preserve some of my fondest memories out in nature.
Up until a few years ago, enjoying nature was merely a hobby. Trekking through pristine wilderness was a family vacation or a Boy Scout outing, but certainly not a precursor to career aspirations. However, as my wish of becoming a professional baseball player subsided and my affection for the environment intensified, I realized that I should follow my interests in pursuing an environmental engineering career. Reflecting on my upbringing, I have experienced nature from a rural perspective in the heart of New Hampshire and a more developed standpoint home right on the edge of the Bay Area suburbs. Combine that with the environmental ideology engrossing me in California, and I believe I was destined for an environmental career. As an environmental engineer, I know that I can be a part of the effort to promote a better world.
