When first studying biology, I found myself loving ecology and evolution in my second semester biology lab. My professor would tell us stories about deep sea diving to study marine organisms for his other job. This revived a longtime personal interest in marine biology that occurred throughout my adolescence. Additionally, I’ve always found myself attracted to environmental sciences, as I connect with nature often. Even as a child, camping was frequent, and experiences through my elementary school’s field trips to the ocean would shape my imagination. Many people I talk to always are fearful of the ocean, but is it something that has always intrigued me. I hope to guide my career in such a way that caters to preserving it as I understand that it is subject to climate change.

In my freshman summer, I interned at the Southern California Marine Institute, located on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California. The program allowed me to participate in long term research, which entailed monitoring ocean conditions in the Port of Los Angeles. My responsibilities included periodically removing sondes sensors from the water to log their data, analyze the data, clean the sondes, and place them back in the ocean. The facility also housed large fish tanks for other southern California universities to use for their research. I was also taught how to manage the aquarium systems, clean the fish tanks, and feed the fish. My favorite tank contained our three giant sea bass that were used in a study to observe their sound patterns. This internship gave me the confidence to continue into the division of biology that I truly enjoy. As I explore career options for myself, I hope to better understand the environment and the effects of climate change. Hence, I plan to do graduate study and specialize. Participating in One Planet Podcast and The Creative Process is related to my interests, but also something entirely new.

I love the idea of creatively expressing information to educate the public about the environment. I am learning logistical skills, producing, and research techniques as well as diving into the content of the podcasts and further educate myself.