I'm super excited for this internship because I know that I'll get daily experiences with sea turtle rehabilitation and husbandry, and once the nesting season picks up, I'll get regular opportunities to watch sea turtles dig their nests, and yet later, see those hatchlings escape from their eggshells and venture into the ocean for the first time. I feel like this summer is a sort of culmination of all the work I've put into my internships and coursework so far - I know that it's going to challenge me to use everything I've learned in the classroom and in the field, and it's going to challenge me to learn a lot in a short amount of time.
1. Learn how to cook!
2. Get a feel for graduate school programs that will let me learn more about sea turtles
3. Use my previous experience with public speaking to engage our visitors, and challenge myself to continue to improve.
4. Get a more rounded picture of the rehabilitation process as a whole
5. Learn more about specific rehab concerns pertaining to sea turtle patients
6. Make strong bonds with my intern colleagues and (hopefully!) turn them into long-term friends
7. Learn the stories of each turtle and the special requirements to keep each species and individual we care for as healthy and happy as possible
8. I hope to get an opportunity to get around South Carolina and surrounding areas and experience the culture of a place I've never before spent a significant amount of time in
9. I hope to open my mind to new ideas and philosophies of conservation and preservation of this wonderful species, allowing my fellow interns and other staff to impact me, and use my past experiences and passion to impact them as well
10. Learn the proper way to use "y'all" ;)
Before I go, I must thank the wonderful people from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Career Services and the Dean of Students for providing me with a "Get Paid for an Unpaid Internship" Scholarship that is assisting me in being able to afford to live in another state and pursue my dreams at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital. I am really grateful for their support, and appreciate what they've done to help me advance my career for the past several years. If you'd like to learn more about what UNL's Career Services does for its students click here!
I am looking forward to the chance to make my family and colleagues proud, I hope that you'll tune in from time to time to join me in my journey into the field I've dreamed of entering my entire life.
Finally, for anyone who might be reading this from the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital, I can't wait to meet you!
Yay Brie! This looks so exciting! I can't wait to read more about your adventures this summer. What an awesome career choice. I can't think of a better person to be in your position. Congratulations and kudos!
ReplyDelete-Tara
Recently, I discovered your blog and am enjoying reading about how you are chasing your dream with such determination. I too have dreamed of working in the field of sea turtle conservation, however, the fire for this passion has slowly been snuffed out over the recent months. I attend UC Davis as an undergraduate in the wildlife, fish and conservation biology major and hope by reading your blog that the fire that once drove my dreams and aspiration will be reignited. I look forward to the day when I get to be up close and personal with a real life sea turtle.
ReplyDeleteKeep doing what your doing, your story is an inspiration.
-Jason Dexter
jddexter@ucdavis.edu