Junior year I was having a difficult time choosing my classes. Especially what science to take. I ended up choosing GEI, Global Environmental Issues. This class was probably my favorite class in all four years of high school, and I absolutely loved my teacher, Mr. Cofer. I had Mr. Cofer in 7th grade already so I was very excited to have him again. The first day of class, we went over what we would be going over through the course of the year, and it just sounded very interesting to me. The reason the class was so neat to me was that it combined current events with our study of the environment.  Before taking this class, I did not know I had a love and interest in the environment and global issues surrounding it. Because of Mr. Cofer, I now have something in my life that I am very passionate about and love the earth and learning about how I can save the planet.

Honestly, I had never really been a girl who was really into nature, so I just never thought I would be doing anything with the environment. I always thought people who like the environment are always on nature hikes, taking walks and gardening, and being one with the earth. But Mr. Cofer showed me you can love the environment and not always be in nature. You can enjoy it by advocating for it and finding ways to treat it better and improve it for future generations. The class not only taught me about environmental current events, but I also got to learn about all the different energy sources that I truly had not known about before the class. I had always known about solar panels because of the ones on the concession stands on the field. That was the extent of my knowledge of alternative energy sources. Mr. Cofer taught a whole plethora of alternative energy sources such as geothermal, hydrothermal, wave, tidal, biomass, wind, and biofuel energy.  All these alternative energy sources are ways to produce energy, use the earth’s resources, and reduce the human carbon footprint and the amount of waste we pump back into the environment. This was yet another way I was shown I could help the earth without actually being in nature.

I knew I wanted to do some volunteer work with something that was involving the environment. I thought about different local organizations, and I ended up choosing the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at the Brock Environmental Center. I will be able to help out around the building, go to events to educate and help out in the garden over the summer. These are just a few fun things I will get to do while being involved with something that I care so much for. I cannot wait to see what other opportunities I will have with the CBF, and I hope I can help change the planet in my own small way. I am so thankful for Mr. Cofer and his class because it opened my eyes to a hidden passion I did not know I had.