NOT a college essay, an Intel STS essay, please advise!

<p>Please PM me if you can help me with my prototype Intel STS character essay on the topic of scientific curiosity.
My particular problem is that I only recently kindled my interest in science, but I feel like I managed to work it in successfully. My question is, will the mere fact that I wasn't interested in science my whole life count against me, no matter how good my project/essays are?
This is my prototype and my mentor is going to teach me how to do my real ones, but I'd like to get insight if anyone has done the competition.
I might possibly reuse it for something else, as this one probably won't make the cut for Intel, so even if you never did Intel please help me and look at it just as an essay!
Thanks!</p>