Hello! My name is Amelia Burns. I am a senior at Eckerd College with a major in Animal Studies and a minor in Biology. In the future, I want to work with wild animal rehabilitation, zoos, and possibly research. I was given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to the Amazon with my college to study the human-animal impact and behavior of Amazon River Dolphins for two weeks.

As a senior who hasn’t had the opportunity to study abroad, this study abroad program to the Amazon to work with river dolphins and the surrounding community offers a perfect, unforgettable academic experience. The Amazon is an extremely biodiverse environment that is an educational opportunity I don’t want to pass up. With the diverse ecosystem, there is much to learn about in the immersive environment, especially when studying the behavior of the Amazon River Dolphins and the impact of human-animal interaction. I have little in-field experience and being able to do field research and interact with surrounding communities and animals will be the perfect opportunity to apply what I have learned in the classroom into the field.