Hiking through the rain forests of Canada and Hawaii, breathing in the pure, fresh air of nature, and discovering the animals that I had only been able to view on television were memories of an early childhood well lived. “Memories last forever” is the common saying used to describe these experiences. Being an only child allowed me to be very privileged at a very young age. Looking at the many pictures taken of my travels and adventures, I have been able to relive my past experiences.

At the age of at least two, I journeyed to Hawaii where my parents and I – strapped to my mother’s back – hiked in the Hawaiian bamboo forests and visited the stunning waterfalls. Six years old and dressed in hiking boots and cargo shorts, I am captured running through a field of wispy yellow grasses in Yosemite National Park. Splashing my dog with cold, clear blue river water among rocks of massive size and mountains of healthy green trees, my fourth trip to King’s Canyon was retold. From the young age of 2 to my current age of 16, I have been to Canada, where most of my family resides, Hawaii (Maui, Lanai, Molokai), Cozumel and other parts of Mexico, Florida, New York and other East Coast cities, all of the West and northern pacific states, and many other places. Lacrosse and soccer games would take me to cities all over California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Every visit to these different places has involved the outdoors in some way, whether it was hiking, field sketching, snowboarding, sports, or scuba diving. Always seeing something new in every new destination, animals were the first things that I would look for or would seize my attention.

Because most of my travels occurred earlier in my lifetime, my interest for animals and their importance in our ecosystem has intrigued me since I was very young. Not only would visits to the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and SeaWorld ignite my love for animals, so did a man in khaki shorts. Steve Irwin helped me develop my current appreciation and understanding of animals and their ecological place in the environment. His enthusiasm and intelligence caught my attention every time I tuned in to the “Crocodile Hunter,” and I knew that I wanted to be just like him when I grew up. Who wants to be a lawyer? I wanted to be a zoologist. Hey, I still do! Not only would I be able to work in a field that involves animals and the environment, I would also be able to learn about ecology. Studying subjects that I have grown up to love, appreciate, and admire: that’s my dream job. It doesn’t matter how much money I make; it’s how content I am and how I affect the rest of the world. By learning about the many animals that compose the planet we call Earth, how we affect them and how they affect us, and what we can do to protect them, my desire is to educate others and share my enthusiasm for what I love. Hopefully, as an individual, I can make a difference, even if it’s small.

Zoo InternQuest is one step towards making that difference. By working with members of the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) program, I hope to gain the knowledge that I can hopefully use in the future when educating others about the animals and wildlife that affected me so greatly in my childhood. Being a senior in Del Mar and applying to about 13 colleges that specialize in environmental and biological sciences, I look forward to accompanying specialists behind the scenes and learning about conservation and what we can do to help preserve the many animals and endangered species. By expanding my knowledge in the area of conservation, hopefully I can help in the movement to preserve the animals that one day might move our children to become conservationists, zoologists, and ecologists.

I am on the Zoo InternQuest Careers Team.

Posted in Uncategorized | Link to this post

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.