Interning at Sea Life Aquarium has been such a meaningful experience and I feel I gained so much information by working there for a month. It has definitely made an impact on my college and career path. Before this internship, I wasn't sure if I even liked marine biology as much as I said I did, and I wasn't even sure where I would want to direct that career path. Through this internship, I learned that I really love working with animals and getting to know their personalities. It makes me more aware of the oceans around us and it has showed me that I want to pursue a career within marine biology that involves interacting with animals. I also love the working environment of an aquarium because it is very hands-on and structured. The people who work at Sea Life are also amazing and have made my experience so much better. They got me excited about things I didn't know I would be excited about. With my internship ending, I have been thinking about my future a lot more and have created somewhat of a plan for college and career path. I now know what skills I need to develop starting now to be successful in this career. I also know what classes are going to be beneficial to me in college because this career is not just about biology. I feel more prepared for my future and to enter the working world. Overall, working at Sea Life has been amazing and I am truly going to miss working the animals and the aquarists. They brought me one step closer to my future and I am very grateful.
2 Comments
Part 1: Photo Essay Final Part 2: My Internship Project, Explained For my internship project, I put together mini research papers for a variety of potential reptiles that Sea Life may invest in. My job was to research different reptile species, such as lizards and snakes, that could be added to the reptile room. After I did some research, I put together a description of the animal, the needs to take care of it, and the cost of everything. These will be sent off to get funding for the reptiles. This project is beneficial to the aquarium as it expands their variety of animals and the education department. The reptiles are mainly used by education to teach the public about other animals, so adding more animals would help them show more. This project was simple, yet research intensive to find the correct information for each reptile. I checked through multiple sources to verify information as well as searched for the best price for everything. It was really interesting to see how much actually goes into taking care of animal and what is required for them to survive. I am glad that I got to be a part of a step for Sea Life.
I have had a very meaningful experience from interning at Sea Life and I have learned so much about my future career. I also felt I made a somewhat meaningful contribution to Sea Life by helping out everyone with whatever possible. I wanted to be as helpful as possible whether that was feeding animals or washing food dishes. For example, if everyone was busy at the end of the day and there was still a sink full of dishes to wash, I would start washing them so when the aquarists came back, they wouldn't have to take care of it. I hope that I made a meaningful contribution to Sea Life in the eyes of my mentor and colleagues. My work as an intern was also meaningful to my higher education in the future. I learned a lot about marine biology and about marine animals, and I feel this will help me when I begin studying my major. It has at least given me somewhat an idea of what marine biology is and how it is utilized.
My view of life beyond high school has definitely changed and developed during my time as an intern. While working with the aquarists, I saw how they interacted with each other and how they functioned as a unit, and it really showed me that the people at work can become your "work family." I never really thought of the relationships I would develop in the workplace between other workers. It made me see that work doesn't always have to be about work. While still being productive, it is still okay to have some fun in the workplace. I definitely had fun at Sea Life with the aquarists because they are so enjoyable to be around. This internship has absolutely had an influence on the direction of my life. Before, I didn't know what part of marine biology I wanted to work in even though working with animals was ideal. I have already seen the research side of marine biology with a previous experience, but this internship allowed me to work with animals first hand to explore a different side and I fell in love with it. It made me appreciate ocean life a lot more and it showed me that I want to pursue an area in marine biology that allows me to be around animals. I never really considered working in an aquarium, but if I had the chance I definitely would. Working at Sea Life Aquarium was such an eye opening experience, and maybe I will come back to work here later in life. |