Words could not be found to describe what happened yesterday and for last week. Last week's meeting with Dr. Francois Therrien, an amazing man that is full of energy,is very funny and very intelligent. Talking to him and being able to relate with him in issues of research and the organisms that we study, carrying conversations of the paleoecology work he is involved in. The icing on the cake was when I got to meet with one of the most influential persons in my life, Jeff Corwin. Yesterday felt so surreal as though I was having an out of body experience. These emotions don't arise from the fact that he is a celebrity of the Discovery Channel but from the work he does in conservation and being an advocate for those who can't speak for themselves(organisms for instance the golden frog that I talk about in a previous blog)and also for representing the Science community. I was allowed to have dinner with him at his table and was able to engage him in conversation dealing with the recent issues found here(BORDER WALL)and talking in a much lighter note about his travels and about the research we are both conducting. Jeff Corwin had made a major impact not only last night but through his show The Jeff Corwin Experience during which I was at a point in life where I did not know what career path I was going to follow. I was classified as a Pre-Med Bio major but taking Herpetology(the study of Reptiles and Amphibians) and viewing Jeff Corwin and how he was able to work live organisms made me take a 180 degree turn and start in research biologybeing Ecological and physiological. In a sense, as corny as it may sound, they changed my life. The most memorable moment that occured yesterday with Jeff Corwin was when a child asked him about pursuing a career in biology and he responded "You can do anything you want, finish high school and even attend college, here at the university, and do research on lizards, in fact there is a student here who does study lizards..." and he pointed me out in the crowd. To me that just made me realize that I am pursuing my dream and that he is the greatest example of who I want to become and who I want to relate to.
