Help me study in the Galapagos Islands!

Erika Sue Start Date: Oct 19, 2017 - End Date: Apr 18, 2018
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
  • Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

My Travel Story

by: Erika Sue Start Date: Oct 19, 2017 - End Date: Apr 18, 2018
  • Educational/Research Trip
  • Study/Degree Abroad
  • Volunteer Trip
I would like to go on the Galapagos science research trip because not only would it offer me the opportunity to see more of the world, but it would also allow me to do what I love, science.  I have always been fascinated with science and for my future occupation, I intend to work in a technical science-based field.  Through various workshops and camps, I completed many labs and hands-on experiments allowing me to get a taste of different science fields and expand my knowledge of other possible options for my future career.   The summer before my first year at O’Dowd, I learned about the science research trips to Belize, Mexico, Galapagos Islands, and other places around the world.  This was like a dream come true because going on a trip would allow me to fulfill my goal of traveling the world and explore my passion for science.  Freshman year, I went to Belize and my experience was truly one I will never forget.  By helping scientists with on-going research on bottlenose dolphin ecology, I was to be able to contribute to a valuable cause and experience what it would be like to be a research scientist.  I was eager to go on more trips, but due to money restraints, I could only afford one more.  I have been saving the past few years to eventually afford the trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos would allow me to again contribute to current studies, this time on giant tortoises, migration, and diet.  I would see firsthand what Darwin observed and apply what I learned in AP Biology about natural selection, migration, and habitats to my experience on the trip. Having learned so much about Darwin, and the origins of life in Biology, I have always been amazed by evolution.  Getting the opportunity to witness such diverse ecosystems and study natural selection, and island biography in the Galapagos just as Darwin is a once in a lifetime chance, taking learning from a textbook inside a classroom to learning outside from the actual source.
  • Galápagos Islands, Ecuador