Reflection

Water has a very special meaning in my life. When I was very young, my parents told me stories of the 5 essential elements of life in Chinese culture: water, gold, fire, earth, and air. I was told that I lacked the ‘water’ element, so they used the name of a very precious river, ‘淇’,which is in the middle of a desert, as my middle name, hoping that will incorporate this very important element into my life. With my appreciation of water, I started to volunteer at my community during the stream cleanup events, and it was then I realized the importance of clean water and sustainability. I joined my high school's environmental club and started to be involved in school initiatives such as the eco summit and helping to make gardens over the school.