Growing up, I was a PBS kid. I think Zoboomafoo and Wild Kratts really piqued my interest in wildlife and the environment. I’m from Eden Prairie/Minnetonka, Minnesota so there’s not a ton of nature. But, I was pretty close to the state capital, which had its perks. I was able to participate in protests with Climate Strike and other political organizations. Despite being from the suburbs, I do really enjoy my outside time. Some of my favorite outdoor activities are hiking, outdoor photography, and swimming.
I’ve hiked national parks around the country with my camera in hand. Some really cool parks I’ve been to I highly recommend are Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota or Olympic National Park in Washington. I also got the chance to go snorkeling in Culebra, Puerto Rico. My favorite part of the trip was getting to see sea turtles feeding and swimming with a nurse shark near a coral reef. My love for sharks and other animals has led me to become a biology major with a focus in ecology, evolution, and behavior. I plan on doing research on animal species and behavior patterns for conservation. I would really like to focus my research and conservation efforts on sharks, especially black tip reef sharks.
