Hello, everyone! As most of you know by now, I am enrolled at Oregon State University Ecampus working towards a BS in zoology, and I have officially reached the halfway mark. I am proud to announce that I have been accepted into a program in Summer 2025 to study elephant psychology and forest restoration/conservation in Thailand! This unique experience will allow me to get a head start in my dream career working with animals, learning about their behavior, and promoting education about threats to wildlife biodiversity. Additionally, this program will allow me to bridge my previous academic/career background in sociology and mediation with my current pursuits in zoology.

I will be taking two courses: PSY399 The Mental Life of Elephants and BI384 Community-Based Conservation and Ecological Restoration in Thailand. We will begin in Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand, working with Chiang Mai University's Forest Restoration Research Unit to assess the ecological health of local rainforests and to explore restoration techniques. We will have trips to Ban Mae Sa Mai village, Doi Suthep National Park, and Rheum Thai village. The program will then transition to elephant psychology, where we will move farther south into Thailand, spending time at Boon Lott Elephant Sanctuary and Kui Buri National Park. I am especially excited to spend time with rescued and wild elephants, learning about each of their unique personalities. The program runs from June 22 to July 7. A document from OSU going into more detail about the program can be found here.

As you can guess, traveling to Thailand is expensive. While limited summer-term financial aid will cover some of the program cost, I am still responsible for the rest of my tuition, airfare, and meals and lodging outside of the window of the academic program. I plan to document my experience throughout the trip via Instagram or a blog, and I will update you all once that is set up so you can follow along if you would like. GoFundMe does take a percentage of donations, and if you would like to donate directly, you can contact me, my mother Greta, or my father Marc. I will update the GoFundMe goal total to reflect offline donations.

I am so thankful for everyone in my life who supports my dreams, even if unable to donate. My passion for wildlife is driven by my loved ones and the goal to preserve biodiversity for future generations of my family. Thank you all for believing in me, and for your continued support!