Marine Mammal Rehab Internship

Recently I was offered an intern position at the Hunstanton SEA LIFE Aquarium under their marine mammal internship in the UK for a few months. Only a few applicants were selected, and I am the only one from the US. For the summer, I will have the opportunity to work with seal pups meant for rehabilitation. For anyone that knows me this is a dream come true! I am currently a junior at BGSU majoring in both Marine Biology and Conservation Ecology, hoping to earn a degree that I can utilize at a marine mammal rehabilitation center. This is my last summer before I graduate with a Bachelors degree and go on to something bigger, meaning it is my last opportunity to gain some experience in my field of study. Some of the many exciting tasks I'll be doing include:

-food, medicine, and nutritional supplement prep
-cleaning the pens, pools, and hospital
-feeding of the pups
-rehabilitation work with pups
-assisting in medical treatment procedures, examination procedures, and sampling
-assisting with the rescues and releases of seal pups
-feeding, training, and enrichment with the resident seals (the ones we cannot release back into the wild due to the nature of their condition)
-maintaining husbandry and clinical records
-interacting with visitors and giving presentations
And so much more!

With your help, I will be able to spend my summer doing all that I can to help these beautiful creatures get back to where they belong and gain experience along the way. Unfortunately this internship is unpaid and does not come with housing. I have been looking into monthly rental properties and have the possibility of rooming with one of the other interns, however between college loans and having to deal with the exchange rate, this dream internship is seemingly just it of my reach. I am currently picking up days at a diner in my hometown and I am just waiting to set a date for an interview with a job at the university, but I have until mid April (only 15 days away) to accept the position and the only thing keeping me from accepting this internship is the money. I was hoping to have had more by now, but unfortunately I don't. And I hate to ask people for money that I haven't worked for, and I really hate doing this, but in a last ditch attempt... Anything, even just a dollar will help! I'll be working up until the internship to get as much money as I can for living expenses, but in the mean time... Donations to help fund my future would be greatly and truly appreciated, and if anyone has any odd jobs they need done (babysitting, dog walking, fence painting, lawn mowing) in return for a donation, I'm willing to work! Also, if anyone knows of any grants or scholarships I can apply for, please let me know! I've been looking but most of it seems to be for study abroad rather than internships!

Thank you so much for your time, consideration, and any possible donation! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me with this incredible opportunity and making a dream come true!