I have always wanted to be a Marine Scientist…even before I saw the ocean.

My parents never told me it was a silly idea, that I would never make any money, or that I was just a whimsical little mid-western girl with a dolphin-fascination. They never squashed my dreams. I then met an amazing man in SCUBA class, who never told me to give up my dreams in order to follow him around the world and be his military wife. He never squashed my independence.

I am eternally thankful for them and their support, because marine science has taken me a lot of places and taught me a lot of things:

-Snorkeling through stormy seas on the Great Barrier Reef taught me the dangers of swallowing sea water.
-Facing-off with lemon sharks in the Turks & Caicos Islands taught me that fear is only in the eye of the beholder.
-Sea kayaking with orcas in the San Juan Islands taught me the simultaneous power and vulnerability of the human species.
-Wrestling with baby seals and sea lions in Sausalito, California taught me what I needed in order to be a happy person.
-Rescuing sea turtles in Costa Rica with my five favorite ladies taught me the limitlessness of self-timing.

Saving Aunt Terri from falling in the river in Costa Rica!

So, I am taking the things I have learned, the faith I have in my own dreams, the courage I have to be independent, and going to Fiji! I am going to volunteer my time and skills to merge the career I have and love, with the career I dream I still might have someday. I am going to research a resident dolphin pod and teach the local community how to sustainably benefit from their presence.

I am going because the people who love me have never held me back.