Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. What have you done to make your school or your community a bett...

Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom. What have you done to make your school or your community a better place (350 words)?

To call my freshman year of high school formative would be an understatement. It was then that I discovered my passion for environmentalism, which blossomed from my involvement in Eco Club. The club revealed to me the troubling lack of sustainable systems in society. I enjoyed participating in conversations about climate equity, writing letters to policymakers to advocate for environmental legislation, and learning about aquaponics. My love for the environment quickly became the driving force in my life. So, when the opportunity arose to apply to Harvard Summer School, I seized it. On my first day enrolled in Water, Health, and Sustainable Development, I met classmates from all over the world. One was a fellow high schooler interning at a biology lab in Boston. Another was an adult environmental professional with decades of experience conducting environmental impact assessments in Jamaica. Through open class discussions, I got to know them and their work in stewardship. Their success stories of lobbying for policies and working at non-profit organizations I aspire to join gave me hope, urging me to continue pursuing my passion. By the end of the course, I had written a comprehensive paper on hydropower in China. I learned about its unexpected social and environmental costs, such as the displacement of minority communities and altered fish migration patterns. My professor, a longtime member of the Asian Development Bank, shared his first-hand experience speaking to indigenous populations and assessing green infrastructure in Southeast Asia. Had I never joined the class, I would have missed an exhilarating summer of learning. The fall after Harvard Summer School, I sat down to outline the curriculum for Eco Club for the following school year. As I referenced the previous year’s plan, I realized it did not include many critical aspects of environmentalism. Concepts I had studied over the summer, like climate justice, environmental policy, and renewable energy, were missing. I knew I had to add them so students would acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the environment. Doing so would foster growth in my community to address the urgent need for climate change solutions.