Marine Biology Personal Statement

One of my biggest inspirations, Richard Vevers, once said, “most people stare into space, with wonder. Yet we have this almost alien world on our planet, just teeming with life.” Marine biology fascinates me because there are so many interesting species and unique mysteries we have yet to discover -- we have only scratched the tip of the iceberg. My fascination for the ocean started out at a young age and has stuck with me throughout all four years of high school. Towards the end of highschool, I found myself branching out to other ocean advocates. Chris Lowe from CSULB offered me a volunteer position in his shark lab and I also got in touch with Andrea Smith, a volunteer director at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point Harbor. Communication has

I was not fond of socializing and felt comfortable with my small, tidy group of friends. Communicating was one of my weakest attributes and the majority of the reason was because I was afraid of other people’s judgement. As soon as highschool rolled around, however, I felt relieved. High school was an opportunity for me to turn over a new leaf. I could be someone totally different without the question of my unsocialized background. Confidence overwhelmed me and I began to make the effort of approaching others rather than having others approach me. Upon meeting new people, my interest in interest in marine biology blossomed when I met my freshman IDEA biology teacher. Prior to being a teacher, Mr Cadiz, my freshman biology teacher, performed field research focused on the changing marine environment and our anthropogenic impacts. I would often stop by his classroom during my passing periods and converse about things like the fundamentals of ecology or the importance of coral reefs. Eventually, I grew tiresome of listening to the same conversations and wanted to go out wanting to improve my knowledge of the marine environment. I got in touch with Raelene Child, a volunteer coordinator at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and landed

As a UH Honors student, I would love the chance to study abroad because it will give me an opportunity to learn more about about myself. I will be exposed to an entirely new environment. This creates an excellent opportunity for me to communicate with new people and gain a better understanding of the scientific and research field. I will experience different styles of teaching and will be able to broaden my area of expertise. I might even find new career opportunities. What I am looking forward to the most, however, is making lifelong friends. Aside from school, I will spend the majority of my time getting to know my host family -- teaching them about my culture as they teach me theirs -- and I will leave with a better appreciation for the nation’s people and history. Being able to converse about our variances in culture, I hope to build a strong enough relationship to last even after we graduate. Upon leaving the country, I will return with many friends, a great education, and a stronger willingness to