For as long as I can remember one of my biggest dreams was to make a living out of helping animals. Part of that desire stems from the pressure I received to adapt socially at an early age. By the time that I could learn to talk my parents were already bitterly divorced. As a result my younger sisters and I were constantly shifting between living with my mother and my father as they wrestled for custody over us. In addition, finding consistent work was very difficult for both my parents, because neither of them were able to complete their education, which in turn meant that my sisters and I were moving frequently. Making lasting friendships was difficult, because I was changing schools and losing contact with my friends almost every year of my life. The first time I was able to experience a lasting friendship was when I was 11 years old with my first pet, a Shetland sheepdog named Little. When Little passed away her death brought me great sorrow, but also gave me the opportunity to learn valuable lessons. In the wake of Little’s passing I began to explore my own environment where I started to read about other religions and other animals than the ones I had been accustomed to. As I was introduced to new ideas and perspectives on life I became increasingly curious about everything I took for granted, such as the cycle of poverty or the predominance of Christianity in my family. Without a strong connection with my family I was left to seek out these questions and answer them on my own. Thus, my beliefs were based on my own research and observations of the world. In turn, I developed a strong scientific perspective of the world that not only questioned everything around me, but also continued to question my own beliefs so that they remained unbiased, devoid of tradition, and was steeped in factual information. In this way, animals were able to help me persevere through the tough times in my life by offering me companionship when friends were hard to come by and showing me that there was beauty out in the world beyond the ugliness in my own home if I was willing to seek it out. Therefore, my dream is to temper my passions into skills that I can use to help preserve our wildlife so that we may continue to learn and benefit form their existence.
When I graduated high school I was able to start investing in the work necessary to reach my dreams. My first step was attending the College of Southern Nevada where I studied with the intention of transferring to Alaska Pacific University. However, problems between my parents and I intensified before I was able to receive my transfer degree and I decided that it was in my best interest to move far away from my family. The next five years, between 2007 and 2011, were spent away from college as I worked to stabilize my own life so that I may continue attending college uninterrupted. In 2012, I returned to school at Cascadia Community College with an overwhelming desire to make up for lost time. Initially, I was successful taking low-level classes despite my heavy course load and disability. However, the demand of higher-level courses magnified my difficulties as a disabled student and my performance began to decline. As I began to lighten my course load and fully utilize disability support services my living situation became unstable and I needed to move once again. However, I was determined not to break form school for a second time and transferred to Bellevue College and Seattle Central College while re-establishing a stable residence. Although ten years have passed since I have graduated high school I have persevered through obstacles to earn my Associates in Integrated Studies and progress one step closer to my dream.
Now that I have walked the first steps in my career path I look to the University of Washington to turn my dreams into reality. A Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Resource Management with the option to specialize in Wildlife Conservation would allow me to work independently or in a team to analyze ecological information and communicate that information to a variety of audiences. Being able to assess the ethical impact of policies that govern the relationship between our society and the environment in which our society exists will allow me to properly advocate for the most effective options that nurture that relationship. After finishing my undergraduate education at the University of Washington I would be positioned to apply my skills in the public or private sector as an Environmental Scientist or Policy Analyst in order to help protect Washington’s diverse environment for generations to come.