I wrote this essay on an application to Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, OH.
I think this essay is what got me a guaranteed spot into the school. This essay is about my
motive for starting the Save the Tapir Project, and is also what I learned from
experiencing life in the rainforest. The essay is written from the following prompt:
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that it was critical for a person to have discovered
something in life for which it was worth dying. If you could choose one political,
environmental, spiritual, or social issue to fight for, what would it be and why?
I agree with Dr. King that everybody should find something worth dying for, and
I have found that something. In a recent visit to Costa Rica with my family, I learned that
the rainforest is disappearing at an alarming rate. I never really realized this at home in
Ohio because I wasn’t there to witness it actually happening. All of our rainforests are
being destroyed and not much is being done to save them. This is one issue I feel is worth
“dying for” because if we don’t save the rainforest, our chances for survival are slim.
More people should get involved because of the resources the rainforest supplies. Some
resources include oxygen, medicines, and it also holds the most diverse wildlife in the
world. I also feel that not enough people sense the imminence of this impending threat to
our survival. What would it look like if there wasn’t anything where the Amazon is right
now? It would be barren land, a wasteland. The Amazon Rainforest supplies more that
20% of the world’s oxygen and it recycles the carbon dioxide into oxygen. I hope that we
can save what is left, and that we can save the rainforest not for us, but for everyone else.
There are many endangered species in our world, and one of them is the Baird’s
Tapir. My family and I stayed at Rafiki Safari Lodge near Santo Domingo, Costa Rica
where the people there are biologists, veterinarians and environmentalists who are trying
to reintroduce this tapir. The Baird’s Tapir scatters seeds and eats the low-lying
vegetation that covers up where young trees grow. The tapir is a very important part to
the re-growth of the rainforest, and without it the rainforest there has a small chance of
re-growth.
When we arrived back home, I thought for a while on what I could do to help. I
learned that small steps make big statements, and so I organized a Save the Tapir drive.
My mom and I researched the “LIVEstrong” type bracelets, and we also did a lot of
research on the tapir. We worked long and hard and we are able to now start helping to
Save the Tapir by selling these bracelets at school and public places. The proceeds will
go to the Tapir Specialist Group to reintroduce the tapirs to the rainforest. I am excited
knowing I can help save the tapir.
Based on knowledge, this is a situation where we need to take a stand. Our future
generations have a slim chance of surviving if there is no rainforest. We need to get more
people involved in this issue. I was fortunate to go to Costa Rica, but if the rainforest
disappears, people are not going to get the same chance. I believe rather than allowing the
problem to take control of us, we must take control of the problem. In doing so we will
help to preserve the rainforest for future generations and ensure that there will always be
clean air to breathe. Like Dr. King I will fight for what is right by staying involved in
conservation issues.
I am proud to know that the Tapir Drive was a great success, and that we made $450 for
the Tapir Specialist Group. Without the help of my advisory at Old Trail School, this
never would have been a success. Included in the project was Mr. Teunissen, Blake
Gross, Alexandra Stec, Lauren Smith, Brittany Ramsey, Alex Royer, Nathan Napolitano,
and Anita Salley. Hopefully the success of this project and others like it will bring a
better future for the tapirs.