Core Competancies
Research, oral communication, and collaboration are what interest me most in regards to accomplishing my educational and professional goals. Research for me is derived from an inner curiosity and leads to innovative thinking that I can carry on with me for the rest of my life. Ever since I can remember I have always had this deep, intense feeling of curiosity to investigate why things were the way they were– from why sand crabs buried themselves on the shore to why people chose to be vegetarian, to eventually harder why‘s like why animals that I loved, such as sea otters, only lived in certain parts of California. This past year I have investigated how we can detect California tiger salamanders using a newly developed method known as environmental-DNA and what its parameters for sensitivity are. Asking why and how in life is what leads us to investigate things further and form hypotheses that are both creative and innovative. This simple fact is what excites me for what is to come in my future endeavors in the field of research.
Oral communication is important and goes hand-in-hand with research. After all, what is the point of forming a hypothesis or generating why things are the way they are if you cannot share your ideas with others? I have developed my oral communication skills by engaging with the public at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, both as a volunteer and staff. As a volunteer, I was able to break barriers with the public about climate change through a variety of metaphors and analogies. I effectively communicated success stories of various endangered marine species and related it to the hope that I think is necessary to solve our ongoing climate problem. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions I had with all cultures that visited the aquarium because it challenged my oral communication skills in a variety of ways.
Collaboration is key to success in almost every professional field, especially one that revolves around research and conservation where many people's lives are involved. As a research intern for the Santa Lucia Conservancy, I have learned the importance of maintaining respectful, professional relationships with collaborators and corresponding with them in a manner that stimulates success in whatever project is being pursued. My Capstone course at CSUMB has also taught me that collaboration is what makes projects and pursuits in a profession sustainable because there is investment from community members. For instance, our Capstone class was only able to pursue the environmental projects we did and as successful as it was because of the relationship we built with Julie Haws, a teacher at Los Arboles Middle School. I plan to further develop these collaboration skills to build and foster relationships in regards to future conservation and research projects.
Oral communication is important and goes hand-in-hand with research. After all, what is the point of forming a hypothesis or generating why things are the way they are if you cannot share your ideas with others? I have developed my oral communication skills by engaging with the public at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, both as a volunteer and staff. As a volunteer, I was able to break barriers with the public about climate change through a variety of metaphors and analogies. I effectively communicated success stories of various endangered marine species and related it to the hope that I think is necessary to solve our ongoing climate problem. I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions I had with all cultures that visited the aquarium because it challenged my oral communication skills in a variety of ways.
Collaboration is key to success in almost every professional field, especially one that revolves around research and conservation where many people's lives are involved. As a research intern for the Santa Lucia Conservancy, I have learned the importance of maintaining respectful, professional relationships with collaborators and corresponding with them in a manner that stimulates success in whatever project is being pursued. My Capstone course at CSUMB has also taught me that collaboration is what makes projects and pursuits in a profession sustainable because there is investment from community members. For instance, our Capstone class was only able to pursue the environmental projects we did and as successful as it was because of the relationship we built with Julie Haws, a teacher at Los Arboles Middle School. I plan to further develop these collaboration skills to build and foster relationships in regards to future conservation and research projects.