Welcome!

Words can't express how excited I am to start this new chapter in my life. My name is Julie, and I am a Biology student at the University of North Carolina- Greensboro. My personal career goal is to work in a zoo or aquarium setting. It all started when I was in high school, when I decided to attend the Asheboro High School Zoo School. Yes, my high school was located at the North Carolina Zoo. As a teenager who didn't really know what she wanted to be, the zoo school provided a wonderful, open atmosphere for me to figure it out. I had no idea I had found the place I was searching for.

My zoo school experience was like any other high school experience, just add outdoor classes, daily adventures in the zoo, and way more fun. Through these experiences, I began to realize how much I impacted the Earth. My carbon footprint was way more than it should have been, so I decided to start a recycling project at my church. This attracted the attention of my science teacher, who invited me to be a part of a team of 3 to compete in Project Polar Bear, a binational competition to determine which small group could decrease the most carbon emissions. We placed 2nd, which landed us a trip to Sea World San Diego and the San Diego Zoo! It was such a cool experience!

Following the trip, I won a competition through the North Carolina Zoo, which sent me to the arctic tundra of Churchill, Manitoba in the Fall of 2011, with Polar Bears International. Spending a week on the tundra, surrounded by incredible world-changers changed my life. We learned all about polar bear biology, climate change, and conservation efforts. Coming face to face with polar bears and learning about the human impacts that are harming their habitat was heartbreaking, and I knew from then on, I would spend my entire life sharing about climate change. 

Fast-forward to my freshman year of college, I was selected to intern at the North Carolina Zoo in the marine mammal department, working with harbor seals and polar bear. It was the most incredible summer of my life, and I learned so much about husbandry and training. It was truly a dream come true, and I was so fortunate to work for such amazing keepers.

So now, in just two weeks, I will be flying to Seward, Alaska to work in the marine mammal departments of the Alaska SeaLife Center. Words cannot describe how excited I am for this opportunity. Until then, I have to finish finals, volunteer for several days at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital, and pack my life into a suitcase. Keep up with me, it's going to be a WILD ride. 

    xoxo,

     Jules