My exposure to the ocean through family trips to Hampton Beach and to the Mystic Aquarium is what led to my fascination for animals and the ocean. This grew into a passion for the sea and that led me to gain extensive experience in teaching, service, and research. The ocean is what got me started in Marine Biology and sharks are why I have stuck with it. Sharks are why I volunteered for the Mystic Aquarium in CT, choose to go to school at the University of Rhode Island (URI), got involved with different research positions, and choose to apply for a chance to be involved with the top organization in terms of science, service, and stewardship of the climate, weather, oceans, coasts. NOAA has always looked out for sharks inspiring me to get involved …show more content…
I have to try hard when it comes to learning school material, but I make it work as shown by achieving Dean 's List recognition for every semester taken at URI. I choose URI because they provide an ample supply of extracurricular activities along with challenging course work. As a member of the Honors program I am provided with individualized courses made for upper level students for a variety of different topics. The courses go more in depth into the material and it’s a smaller group, so the teachers are more involved. I have used the honors program to broaden my knowledge of subjects outside of the field of Science. I have taken a writing course, two communications courses, and even a course about fairy tales. I was a member of the URI Women’s Division 1 Soccer Team during my freshman year and currently, I am a member of the Scuba Club, Surf Club, and Ballroom Dance Team as the current president. Each experience I gained extensive skills working with groups and adapting to different situations. In addition, URI has challenged me to expand myself by completing different courses. I never enjoyed chemistry in high school and while its still very challenging I have a new gained respect for it. I will continue to take a variety of challenging courses and get more involved in the different lab settings offered at URI. Lastly, with the help of the URI scuba program I will continue diving with my open water certification and further scientific