You can join clubs, volunteer, get jobs and help professors conduct scientific research. Because I chose a college that specializes in animals, I get to work hands-on with sick and injured birds of prey at the Veterinary School's Raptor Center. There are also lots of professors conducting studies about animals. By sending an email to a professor and telling her that I was interested in the data she was collecting on monkeys, I was given an opportunity to assist her in her research. After six months of hard work in her lab, where I mostly did math about the animals she studied, she asked me to spend three months in Panama to collect data for her.
When I first started college, I was scared to be a one-hour plane ride away from home. In comparison, it would take me over nine hours to get back to my family in San Diego from Panama! College has really helped me grow, though, because now I feel more independent and ready to embrace the opportunities that come my way. Living in Panama for the next three months will give me the chance to spend hundreds of hours in the forest, see new types of animals and learn wildlife tracking skills that I can use in a future career as a biologist. Plus, living in Central America gives me a great chance to practice my Spanish.
I've been in Panama for about two weeks, and it's already the longest time I've spent outside of California. I know I'm going to miss home sometimes, but I've already made good friends on the island who are just as passionate about nature as I am. Even though it can feel scary traveling to a new place by myself, getting to explore in the rainforest every day is a dream come true. I had to work hard to overcome some nervousness to get to Barro Colorado Island, but I am delighted to be here!
