Going into college I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I just took classes that sounded interesting to me and joined clubs and things to help me narrow my focus.

I have loved animals my entire life and after being in college for even just a little bit I have realized that is the only thing I want to study. I am unsure yet of my exact career path, as I am interested in both conservation, animals, and the environment.

This program is made just for me in the fact that it combines all of these things in a way most programs don’t. Usually, you either have to do an environmental sustainability program or a vet program. But in South Africa, they tied everything together from plants to animals through conservation.

Being in South Africa, I learned an incredible amount of information. Even though we didn’t sit and do lectures, as we were working and doing bush walks, new things and facts were constantly pointed out to us and everything we did was hands-on. This is great for me because I am a very visual learner and there's no better way than being up close touching and looking at things. For example, on a bush walk to set some camera traps, we were learning about acacia trees and how important they are for the ecosystem. We were taught how giraffes eat them because they send signals downwind that alter the taste making those trees poor for eating. During this, a group of giraffes walked up and started eating the trees, so we got to watch the way they meticulously use their tongues on the thorns and then move to the next tree upwind.

I also learned many skills on my study abroad that can’t be taught on campus. I learned how to dart animals and how to use telemetry to track radio collars/signals. These skills I got to practice out in the field alongside experts.

With all this being said, I can not only put this experience on my resume but have added value to my future career due to the first-hand knowledge and skills I learned on this program.

Name: Madison Godfrey
Status: Freshman
Major: Zoology with a concentrations in Ecology, Evolution of Behavior, and Zoo + Aquarium Science
Hometown: Clarkston, Michigan
Program: Cheetah Conservation Internship