If you have a background or other activity so interesting that you think your application would be incomplete without it include it here:

In 2008, my life as a climate change activist began, my parents had been in the business for a while and told me about why they fight to protect the earth for future generations. I remember driving past the front range as they told me about the impacts of sea level rise, and how that could displace hundreds of millions of people. About how droughts could skyrocket food prices. And how the Colorado Wilderness, that I love so dearly would be devastated by wildfires and pine beetles. Ever since that fateful day, I have tried my hardest to help make the world a better place, from working to encourage recycling initiatives at school, to giving presentations, and attending conferences, (including a training one by former VP Al Gore). But probably my most impactful work is Juliana V. US.

This is a lawsuit started by the organization Our Children’s Trust, the main aim of the case is to address climate change through the court system, the case has gotten Quite a lot of press coverage (add praise for the case here), and although the case still has a long way to go after trial, I remain hopeful that the case will move forward successfully.

I got involved in the case freshman year of high school and since then its been a journey of various legal battles, I have flown out to oregon about 5 times for various legal actions, culminating in trial this August despite the trump administrations best attempts to stop the trial.

I have been asked by a lot of people if the goal of my work is to “save the planet”, every time I am asked a question like that I like to respond like “The planet will be fine, human civilization on the other hand…”, and while that might be a bit hyperbolic, I joined this lawsuit because I thought it was a way that I could help the world become a better place. One of the main arguments that we make in our case is that the children of the world and future generations are being discriminated against on climate change because we will have to live in a future where the impacts of climate change are much much worse.

And that’s why I joined this case, and fighting for what I care about costs me, reading comments on news articles where we are mentioned invariably ends up with comments saying that I have been indoctrinated from a young age to join in this case, that our parents punish us and push us into being mascots for the world. They don’t. I joined this case of my own free will because I thought it would help people. It has cost me friends, people who think that what I am doing is some part of a liberal conspiracy or people who agree with the cause but are convinced that the whole thing is some giant publicity stunt.

Nonetheless, through all these challenges I still persist with this, despite the ability to leave at any time. Because despite the fact that my involvement with this case has cost me friends and a regular normal place in society. I know that the challenges associated with this case have allowed me to overcome adversity in other areas. It has helped me see that you don’t have to follow the traditional path set out before you by society. That you can make your own path, and make your own way.