As some of you may know, I am on the final stretch to graduate from Tarleton State University with a B.S in Wildlife, Sustainability, and Ecosystems Sciences with a minor in biology, as well as a minor in business. I have lived in Stephenville for the last 4 years. I am set to graduate in December 2017. I would not be where I am today without the amazing support system I have been blessed with the last four years: My family, especially my momma and daddy, who have kept me on the right train tracks all 22 years I’ve been rolling. My granny, whose voice of guidance I can hear in the back of my head from time to time telling me how proud she is of me.  And of course, all of the awesome friendships I have made during my entire time here in Stephenville.  I have also been blessed to work for Hooters my entire college career. Not only because Hooters is an awesome company for a fulltime college student to work for, but because of the amazing people that I have formed relationships with while working for Hooters. I have made lifelong friendships with co-workers, managers, and ‘regulars’ who became friends and family. I have been blessed with emotional, financial, and overall moral support from my “Hooters family” throughout my entire college career. I am where I am today because of my support system. For those of you who have had the luxury of being part of shaping my crazy dream, you know that my college career has been driven by my passion for politics and wildlife (and saving the world). I was recently accepted into the South African Shark Conservancy(SASC) research program to fulfil the internship requirement for my degree. The SASC is an NGO dedicated to promoting conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources through research, education and outreach. SASC research is focused on sharks and their habitats. The overarching goal of SASC is to improve conservation and management strategies for many different species of sharks. I will spend the month of June 2017 in Hermanus, South Africa. Much of my time will be spent at sea assisting with shark tagging, deploying baited remote underwater video systems, helping with ecological surveys, running focal surveys on Great White Sharks, conducting cetacean behavioral monitoring, contributing to database management and data analysis, and so much more.



I have been given an amazing opportunity to study something that I am extremely passionate about, because of my support system. For that, I say thank you! Thank you for supporting me and continuing to support me. My wheels are still rolling, and I am looking forward to sharing this experience with all of you.

 
Where exactly are we rolling?
The final destination has not yet been established, and we are currently on the road less traveled.
With that being said, I am paving my own path:

Living in central Texas, we often fail to recognize that much our everyday routine depends on maintaining a healthy ocean. Sharks are the framework for life in the oceans, oceans upon which the human race depends on. Inhabiting earth 200 million years before the dinosaurs, surviving 5 mass extinctions, sharks have shaped the way that all other species have evolved. Sharks are the number one keystone species, removing them would create an entire structural collapse that would eventually be apparent in all of earth’s biomes. Sharks have shaped our world. All religious and scientific opinions aside, we evolved to survive amongst the sharks. We did not evolve to kill 273 million sharks a year. Offshore drilling, pollution, toxic waste and commercial fishing account for half of the sharks killed per year, while the other half can be found for trade in the black-market demand of shark fin soup. 

I intend to take my experience and knowledge that I gain from studying in South Africa with me to law school. Eventually, I want to stand with big corporations that seemingly tend to forget the importance that other species living amongst us have in regards to our everyday lives. We are always going to be developing, that is what we do. Contrary to popular belief (sarcasm), we are only given so much. It is possible to use it all, to kill it all, and even to pollute it all to the point of no longer being of use to the human population. We can develop without depleting. We can develop without ruining our environment, destroying habitat areas, and depleting species that we are designed to coexist with. I plan to use my resources and opportunities I will be given in the future, to educate the public about the importance of shark conservation, ocean conservation in general, as well as the importance of maintaining a healthy developing nation. A healthy nation cannot exist without a healthy ocean. A healthy ocean cannot exist without a healthy nation to take care of it. A healthy ocean has sharks, lots and lots of sharks! 

 Right now, you are probably wondering…
“Sharks?” “Law school?” “How is that going to work?”

Let me explain…
I proudly use my knowledge to educate my peers on unfamiliar ideas and topics that may seem unimportant to the general public, things that a typical 22-year-old is not necessarily entertained by; shark conservation, wildlife conservation, policy and regulation, pollution, law, politics. Anything and everything that has to do with two subjects that I am equally extremely passionate about, wildlife science and politics. I have an obsession to learn. As I have gotten older, my way of learning has evolved. Before college, I was not eager to listen to ideas that differed from mine. But during my first few semesters I quickly realized that it was not the opposing idea that I did not want to hear. It was an opposing idea that had no facts, reason or rhyme as to what that idea was grounded on, that I did not want to hear. During this time, I also came to the realization that I did not learn from minds that I share a similar thought process and agreeing viewpoints with, especially when it comes to subjects I am passionate about. My obsession to learn sparked when I realized how many doors opened, how many opportunities arose, and how many solutions I could find when I opened up my mind, to learn from those with minds and viewpoints that differed from mine. I learn new things every day from people whom have opposing beliefs, different opinions and reasoning than I do. I want to hear what I do not know- not what I already know, I cannot learn that way. I stand strong in my belief that we have to understand opposing viewpoints before we can create change and fix what is broken.

I dream of a day that world-wide ocean regulation exists, along with successful methods of reinforcement that punishes those who illegally take sharks and other forms of life from our oceans. World-wide ocean regulation and world-wide shark conservation starts with us. It starts with what is going on in the United States of America and the United States of America territorial waters. Upon U.S recognition to the importance of shark conservation and maintaining a healthy ocean, while still continuing to develop, we can then begin taking steps to regulate and conserve our oceans world-wide.

How do I plan to leave my mark and contribute to the U.S recognition on the importance of shark conservation? I will do as I always have, and follow my own unpaved path.

I intend to study environmental law. As an environmental lawyer, I will uphold regulations and advocate for new policies related to clean water, clean air, global warming, land use and many other environmental themes. Eventually, I hope to be working with companies that are highest in the industry. Companies that top the charts when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, oil, hazardous waste disposal, toxic chemicals, etc., companies that pose the highest potential to harm the environment and wildlife.  The average Joe might assume that I intend to work against fossil fuel companies, but that is not my goal. I know that in order to maintain a healthy nation, we have to use our resources, we have to develop. I also know that business and politics is more times than not, a corrupt dark place. However, it does not have to be.  You cannot bring light to the dark without flickering the switch. I want to be the light to the darkness in which several coal, fuel, and natural gas corporations thrive on. The light when the government turns its shoulder, holds open its pocket, and fails to act accordingly in regards to regulating, prohibiting, and monitoring the use of fossil fuels. I want to change the way our government picks and choses who and how they are going to regulate when it comes to the health of our environment and wildlife. I intend to establish a career that will allow me to influence a change using my knowledge regarding conservation and the importance of maintaining a health ocean. I could potentially work side by side with the biggest companies in the fossil fuel industry, influencing the way we take and use our resources while having little to no concern of the detrimental impacts on our oceans and wildlife. Everything we do serves potential to impact the, now vulnerable, shark populations. I intend to lead a transition that changes our developing lifestyles from having a negative impact on shark populations to having a positive impact on shark populations, which in turn will aid us in maintaining healthy oceans.

I believe I can make this change with my open mind by combining my ever growing knowledge in regards to the overall importance and the human populations reliance upon oil, coal, and natural gas for everyday necessities, with my knowledge and passion for politics, law, and most importantly shark, ocean and overall wildlife conservation.

This internship with SASC will give me hands on experience, increase my knowledge regarding all ocean life, and fuel the fire I have burning in me to be the voice for those who have no voice.

I am blessed with family and friends that have graciously covered my internship and airfare costs. This internship is an amazing opportunity, however, it is not a paid internship. While I am in South Africa, life at home goes on-Dingoes still need to eat, bills still need to be paid.  I am hoping that this GoFundMe campaign, will not only raise awareness about shark and ocean conservation, but also provide the funds to cover the month I will be without income and expenses while I am studying in South Africa.



 

“We live in a society where injustice often slips through the cracks and only through individual vigilance and passion can we have any hope of fighting that”-Madison Stewart.