3:30 am

Mia pressed the gas pedal, the speedometer rose, then all of a sudden -- boom. The blended composition of grass, oil, and water caused the engine to explode. She heard her father shout her name, as she gulped she entered the house. Why can’t you be a normal girl,” her father said.

“I don’t care what you think I’m still going to do this.” Mia responded.

As her father furiously stormed out of the room, Mia began to cry. She thought that no matter how hard she tried, her dad would never accept her for who she is. As a little girl, Mia always had big ideas, her goal was to help the world through a scientific revolution. Another one of her goals was to become the next great female scientist. As the tears flowed down her face, from her father’s mean comment, she realized even her own family was closed minded, just like everyone else. What no one seemed to understand was that  failure is a part of being an inventor. As she cried, she closed her eyes and went to bed. 

The next morning, despite her father’s scolding, she thought to herself, “If I can just get some algae, I will be able to make the engine work.” She realized that algae is more  efficient than grass because it has the chemical properties that she had been missing all along. She headed to the pond to collect more algae. This particular location was the perfect location due to an algal bloom. She dipped the canister into the water and the algae flowed in. Once the canister was full she took her container back to her work space.

As soon as she had all the materials, she blended them together to make a more environmentally friendly gas. She mixed together blended algae and lye water. The two liquids took the form of a thick, oily, liquid. Throughout the process, Mia spilled several ounces onto the floor which infuriated her. As she made small mistakes, the words of all the people who doubted her crept into her mind. She could hear them saying, “you will never be a successful scientist! You should just find a man and start a family!” She quickly shook those thoughts out of her mind and completed mixing the new gas solution. As soon as she was done, she filled the car’s gas tank with the new product she had created. Excitedly, she went to the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition. Just then, her dad walked into the room and yelled, “NOOOOO!” Without hesitation, Mia flipped the ignition while staring at her dad.

The car wheels started to turn as the engine roared. It was a success! Mia had created the perfect car that was both fuel efficient and eco friendly. Her dad’s face was redder than a tomato, he yelled at his daughter, half in fear and half in excitement. Regardless, he couldn't speak a word because Mia had already driven the car into the morning light.