The place where I live is Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Its history and my connections to it are also my hopes and fears for it. My history with Mount Pleasant is held within twenty-two years and it has changed so much through-out this time. I am connected to it because my siblings, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins also call this place their home.

I grew up in a house in the suburbs for the first fifteen years of my life. I was able to see the neighborhood develop over time and as our district schools became more popular, my family was one of only few original families left. I watched neighborhoods jump up out of nowhere. I watched schools begin to accept children who lived only in certain geographical zones, since there just was not enough room to allow everyone in. By the time I went to high school, I wondered the hallways with 4,000 students, graduating with a class of 900.

Many memories have been formed in those hallways, on the beaches, and along neighborhood streets. But as I come back home every summer and winter break from college, I notice how much larger Mount Pleasant continues to grow. I can only imagine how much added pollution has been released into the atmosphere, our marshes and our ocean. In 2012, the last local beach became alcohol-free because of the litter fellow residents and tourists created. I remember the up-roar it caused, young adults not understanding their damage to my home.

Although education has improved among my peers, I wonder if there will be a time when I come home to an unrecognizable city. As I move back to Mount Pleasant, I hope to impact my friends, younger generations, and even my children in the importance of our environment and the care for our ocean. Education about oceans should be expanded to more classes than just an elective course. It should be taught in high-schools and demonstrated by every public service group, for its importance should be felt by everyone.