Writing assignment #1: Personal Statement for John Paul Cross

Genetics, Dr. Rinehart-Kim

When I was a child, my family went on a vacation to the San Juan islands off of the coast of Washington. During the trip I was given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see a pod of Orcas hunting a school of fish no more than 100 feet from a boat. From that day onward I knew I wanted to become a marine biologist and study marine organisms for the rest of my life. I believe that I have the qualifications to become a great marine biologist, and that I also have the necessary drive and will to put said qualifications to use. Everything in my life from my education path to extracurricular activities such as marine camps and volunteering opportunities, and even vacations have catered to this dream of mine.

My greatest asset towards becoming a marine biologist is my undying desire to learn about and understand the inner workings of the natural world. For as long as I have lived, I have been fascinated with organisms and their interactions with each other as well as the natural world, and that passion will drive and guide me to perform to the best of my ability in this field. I have also constantly tried to think outside the box and apply that which I’ve learned about the morphology and mechanics of the organisms I have learned about in my time, and how they could be applied to other fields to improve the lives of others and further our understanding of the natural world. Some examples include creating prosthetics that utilize similar mechanisms to hydrostatic skeletons found cephalopods as to provide users with greater versatility and range of motion, to potential medical applications of Axolotls, specifically their regenerative capabilities. The portfolio of literature I exposed myself to from a young age onward has greatly aided in creating a framework for me to go off. From watching the beautifully immersive Blue Planet to reading Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World’s Wildlife several dozen times, I have constantly worked to expose myself to the organisms pervading our ecosystems and subsequently understand their individual and collective roles in said ecosystems. I have partaken in many marine camps and volunteering opportunities throughout my childhood and teenage years that provided me with up-close hands-on experience working with experts in oceanography and marine biology, as well as giving me further information on the biotic and abiotic factors of marine ecosystems, from estuaries to open oceans. I have also taken many classes in high school and  university pertaining to this field of study, with ecology, marine biology, cell biology and evolution providing some of the greatest insights into the natural world and its most intricate systems. These classes also taught me to be patient, to work diligently and consistently, and to always keep an open mind when learning, either about the natural world or the nature of the science and what one must do to practice it responsibly.

In short, I believe that I have an excellent foundation for me to build upon as a Marine Biologist, and that I have valuable skills and abilities that I can bring to any laboratory or university looking to broaden our understanding of the marine environments of our planet and help teach others how to respect it and learn from it themselves. I do look forward to the day when I can see those Orcas again, though this time it will be from the bow of a ship that I will be working on to better understand them.