My name is Easton Zivnoska, I am a nineteen year old Zoology student that is looking to work in conservation as my future career choice. I am local to the Marquette area and have always had a fascination with the natural world. I have tried to take every opportunity I can to show off this affection for the natural world and the organisms that inhabit it. So far I have started an educational program to inspire other kids to take the same path as me, I do lizardy at the kids museum every Wednesday, helped rebuild and improve the care at the Kids Museum reptiles, I have started a study on blue spotted salamander species with NMU, I work at a local pet store downtown where I help inspire proper care of animals and help with the stores exotic animal rescue efforts. It's been my life's goal to make sure that I reach my dream, always making sure that any chapter of life I am in I am also doing something to contribute to that goal. So far I have been able to keep all of this going while also juggling work and college in hopes that I can work hard to keep building up my reputation in the biology field.

This year I have the opportunity to go to Africa through NMU’s Biology department which has been a dream of mine since I was little. Going to Africa isn't just a trip for me, it's another step in the direction towards my career goals. This trip will help me gain experience and build a resume that will help me get a job in conservation after I graduate from college. Conservation has been the one and only career that's right for me, it gives me the ability to do more. Working in conservation means I can save the biodiversity here on earth, I can help sustain the ecosystems that are fading away and make a difference in this world. I want to help people see and love nature and its beauty for what it is, it's not something to be taken for granted because once we lose biodiversity we will never be able to get it back and will lose a part of ourselves in the process.

The trip is May 4th-22nd and is $8,000, I have worked hard to afford it and can but with great risk to my other goals in college. So far funding resources for the educational program and working hard enough to pay off college as I go, and right now I have been able to pay off any debt I owed to NMU and am looking to keep it that way. The trip to Africa has caused me to question what I should do, should I take the money I have and spend it on this life changing trip and risk having to take out a loan and fall into debt or should I skip this opportunity and play it safe with just staying in Marquette and skipping the chance of a lifetime. This trip hasn't happened in the last 5 years and it doesn't sound like it will happen again anytime soon or at least within the time I will be attending NMU.

One thing I do want to make sure people know is that I don't take money for free so throughout the course of this I will be picking up 1 trash bag of litter around upper Michigan for every $100 made in the GoFund me. Through the donations I will also have checkpoints that will be rewards for the people supporting me. An example of a few of the checkpoints will be volunteering for local businesses/ conservation groups or jumping into the lake in December with some of my family and friends to celebrate making a certain amount.

The trip can change and can actually go down in price so any extra money that I don't need for the trip will be donated to a conservation effort in need of support.

This GoFund me isn't going to be expected to cover the whole trip, but to hopefully help ease the cost of the trip and if it does happen to cover the whole trip I will be speechless and forever in debt to the people that supported me and will have to do something really big to celebrate with everyone that helped me accomplish my goals.

Thank you for reading all of this and for your support, I promise I will make this count and will pay it forward any and every way I can with helping protect the biodiversity around us for future generations to come.

Checkpoints

$100 = 10 pies to the face by donators

$500= donating 50 pairs of gloves to the warming shelter

$1000= Chris’s and Easton Jump into Lake superior

$1500=Easton runs 15 miles in support of a nonprofit

$2000= 20 free easton stickers given away to supporters

$3000=Chris’s choice in event

$4000= Human pinata for kids

$5000= Siblings choice in event

$6000= Work a whole week in embarrassing outfits

$6500= Rescue 5 animals and find them new homes

$7000= Volunteering for a nonprofit or local business for the day

$7500= Supporters choice in event

$8000= Free reptiles shows for 8 schools in the Upper Michigan area