After pursing medicine for more than 6 years, I’ve decided to pivot and pursue conservation medicine. I found myself continuously coming back to working in conservation after every paper I submitted and poster I presented at biomedical conferences. Conservation medicine is the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health, and is becoming a larger part of the conversation we are having on global warming. We are at an impasse, we must analyze the ramifications of human health from how we are treating the animals and ecosystems we share the planet with. I love working on the ground, and have also found my special skill sets I can use to contribute to the global community passionate about protecting our waters. I believe that by connecting the health of all beings who share the planet, we can further protection and resilience work to prevent further damage to our oceans.
As a first generation student, pivoting from medicine was a difficult thing to explain to my family. But I’ve built my own path through entrepreneurship to support conservation work, and have even continued research in looking at how we can utilize natural solutions for human health. I’ve shared my story on how no matter what skill set or degree program we possess, we can repurpose them to work in conservation. As GenZ enters the workforce and we see an increase in intergenerational teams, it’s more important than ever to bring more diverse perspectives and backgrounds into ocean conservation. I vehemently believe that through storytelling and leading through action, we can influence more individuals to improve their habits, pivot to work in climate, and learn to coexist with our oceans.
