The first time I saw a coral reef, I was in third grade.

That summer, my dad took me to Sanya, on the southern coast of China. We scuba dived in crystal-clear water — and that’s where I saw a coral reef for the first time.

I remember being amazed. It felt like I had entered a hidden world — alive, colorful, mysterious. I always knew I wanted to go back.

Creator (leftmost in the picture)

In 8th grade, that memory came back when my classmates and I did a hackathon for the United States Academic Pentathlon (USAP). We chose coral bleaching as our topic.

That’s when I learned the science behind the beauty — and the crisis threatening it.

The summer after 8th grade, my family visited Wuzhizhou Island — a reef even more vibrant and full of life. But this time, I wasn’t just there for fun.

I visited a local coral protection organization. I learned how reefs were being damaged. I filmed what I saw and shared it online — hoping that if more people saw the beauty, they might care too.

When I applied to high schools, I chose Tabor Academy — known as "The School by the Sea."

Here, we don’t swim in pools. We jump into the ocean from the dock. And we have a program that takes students to the Bahamas to plant coral reefs and help rebuild the ecosystem.

That’s one of the reasons I came here.

Now that I’m learning more about chemistry, I understand what’s happening to coral reefs on a molecular level:

Acidification. Warming. Loss of carbonate. Collapse.

But I also see the possibilities: science, robotics, and innovation.