Great Barrier Reef Personal Statement

I plan on going to UW La Crosse to get my bachelors in Aquatic Sciences, then following up to get my masters or doctorate in Marine Biology at Texas A&M. Growing up, my mom always called me her little fish, and told people that I was made to be in the water. The ocean has always intrigued me. “The great unknown!” they say, the greatest mass of our whole Earth and yet barley discovered. Not only do I want to find new species and go further than anyone has before, I want to help our planet. The Great Barrier Reef has always been known for being the largest living ecosystem, but now very large sections of the reef have been pronounced dead due to pollution. There are approximately 1.6 million tons of waste enters our ocean every hour, so yearly, a colossal 14 billion tons of trash ends up in our beautiful oceans. These heartbreaking numbers are what made me want to pursue higher education in the field of Marine

Biology, so my children will be able to have the same kind of love for the thing I am most passionate about.
I also have a deep love for animals and seeing many of them be affected by pollution makes me feel as though I can do something about it.

I want to study how animals interact with their environments, and how we as humans can improve or maintain their living conditions. If I seem to not like that I would like to work with animals individually. Working with marine animals to help them with illnesses or injuries that they may have. I remember watching the movie “Dolphin Tale”, and as cheesy as it sounds, it opened a whole new world that I had never known about. Providing rehab for injured animals seems so fulfilling and exciting all in one. When most people hear that I want to go into a science degree they assume that I am going to spend all my days hunched over a microscope, looking at amebas, but I will work as hard as I need to be out on the field working one on one with the animals and environment. The ocean always seems to be calling me and pulling me towards it, and I feel that the ocean will be my home once I am able to get a degree to work with

it.
Not only do I love the ocean, I am deeply captivated by the human body and would like to minor in athletic training. Growing up I have seen what obesity can do to not only your body, but your personality. Growing up my mother was obese and watching her not be able to leave the house or do every day activities due to her weight is heart wrenching. She has since turned her life completely around, and lost all of the unhealthy weight. She has inspired me to console and encourage others to do the same, because I want to do something that will make families not have to go through the same experiences. I have always loved being active and working out, the feeling of doing something that I know is bettering myself is so rewarding and I want to advise people in the right direction. I would also like to challenge myself by working with athletes. Working with someone that has such a strong drive to get better is very inspiring to me, and would make me want to do better as well.
Because of my life experiences and deep love for the environment and better others, I will study aquatic sciences and athletic training at UW La Crosse.