Some people I am really grateful for during my internship are Ron Swaisgood, Nacho Vilchis, and Maggie Post. Ron Swaisgood, for accepting my resume and taking the time to find a team willing to take in a high-schooler with limited experience as an intern. Nacho, for being a fantastic mentor and being patient with me as I learned how to work the cameras and sort/study the pictures. And Maggie, for taking me into the team and letting me tag along on daily tasks such as counting eggs and banding chicks. This internship has been one of the most genuine experiences in wildlife conservation I’ve ever had, it was really eye-opening and inspiring to work hard in college to get into that field.
This experience has been great for considering my college/career path. I already am going to major in Wildlife Conservation Sciences, so this internship is the perfect example of something that I very well may be doing in that field. I haven't figured out what kind of animal I want to specialize in, but there's plenty of time for that in the future. For now, working with Least Terns has been fantastic for skill-building and real life experience for where I want my career to be headed. Mind MapA skill I learned in high school that helped me with this internship was the experience I've gotten in communication. I can confidently email back and fourth with superiors, as well as craft a meaningful resume for future jobs, internships, and applications. This internship has been similar to the projects I've done at HTHI because a portion of it includes collaboration with my colleagues, and it includes a lot of problem solving and adjusting to make ends meet. It's different from the projects at HTHI because it is in a very professional and scientific field. Wide view of a beach with Least Terns
One challenge I've faced is having to get up at 5am to make it to the site on time. But you have to push yourself in order to accomplish your goals, especially with time management and getting to places you've never been before. My mentor and co-workers have supported me a lot through this project because it is filled with trial and error and challenges through me being a minor. They took the time to get me special clearance to be able to go onto the sites, and have helped me immensely with the camera traps and observing the Least Tern's behavior.
Today was my first official day on the job, My mentor and I set up camera traps near nesting sites of the endangered Least Tern. I unfortunately can't give out that many details because of institute privacy reasons, but I can say that I will be studying the photos that the camera traps take to monitor the frequency and habits of the Terns leaving and returning to their nests. Because of the security, there is very few opportunities for me to take pictures, none the less post them. These were the shots I managed to get today. TOP- the camera we're using for the project on a stand we made this morning. BOTTOM- the sign at the gate warning people not to enter.
I'm going to be working with the San Diego Zoo Global Institute for Conservation. I'm going to be working down in Coronado on the Navy Base studying Least Terns during their nesting season. My mentor is a biologist named Nacho Vilchis.
I'm excited to be working with this team of scientists and to be one of the first people to work on this project. I'm worried that I'll be insufficient. |