I have to agree that the level of specificity here seems to set quite a high bar for what would make you proud. You must understand that the subtext she will hear is, “Anything ‘less’ than this will not make me proud.”
There’s also this:
No sooner does she express an interest in something than you’re looking for a competition in that thing so she can win awards. This all feels like an awful lot of pressure.
You can’t maneuver her into awards in a brand new area of interest, but you could suck all the joy out of a new interest by making it feel like your agenda rather than something she gets to own.
I would be looking for ways for her to engage and get to know the field and the possibilities better. She sounds very bright - maybe some exposure to GIS would open doors for her, in terms of giving her an experience of the possibilities of how environmental data can be analyzed with state-of-the-art tools. But then again, maybe she would get the most out of some sort of hands-on field experience, or getting involved in environmental advocacy. What sounds interesting to her? How does she feel about the environmental field? Is it an “I just like studying nature” kind of thing, or an “I’m terrified about the trajectory of climate change” kind of thing? A lot of kids these days understand how big of a quandary we’re in, and are understandably troubled about it.
Also, what is her overall courseload like? Maybe balls are getting dropped in the “easy” courses because she’s juggling too much, and prioritizing the more “important” classes?
She’s only 16-ish, and you’re literally describing her as “lost” because she hasn’t drilled down on a college major yet. She needs some time and space to figure out what she is interested in. The more you try to pin her down and turn her nascent interests into your “aspirational career plan,” the less she will feel any ownership of that plan. If you want her to show “inner drive,” that starts with ownership. And that means that if she gets some B+'s, she can own that too. She will still have fine options for college, and they will be her options.
So many young people these days are truly struggling. If your biggest worries are that she doesn’t have a 4.0UW GPA and you aren’t sure of her class rank… take a breath and appreciate what a gift it is that she is doing so well. These years will be over before you know it; don’t spend them panicking about every little transcript-blemish. Have faith in your kid, and let her feel your confidence and your excitement about her potential, instead of your doubt and anxiety. She probably has her own doubts and anxieties; she shouldn’t have to carry yours too.