Farewell…

Tomorrow is my last day at NMLC. I wish I’d had more time here. I’ve learned a lot in a short period of time, but there’s so much more to learn. I’ve done things I didn’t expect to do. Of course, handling sea turtles was an amazing experience. It’s amazing how endearing an animal can be, even when you can’t snuggle it or play with it.

My internship has provided other opportunities as well, though. As part of my intern project, I agreed to develop a lesson plan for middle and high school students on endangered and protected species and the laws that protect them. It sounded simple enough until I really started thinking about it. Teaching is an art, and I’ve never had any instruction in it. Once I really started thinking about the project, it was a bit daunting, and it surprised me that Kathy would give that much responsibility to someone she hardly knew. But she had. So I set to work on what turned out to be a VERY long process. Ultimately, I’m really happy with what I put together, and surprised at the quality I think I achieved in an area where I had no experience. The best part, though, is that I learned a lot along the way. It was fun getting back to obsessively researching animals and the environment like I did when I was younger. Some of the policy we’re being taught at Tufts is finally sticking, since I had to research it on my own.

Hopefully I’ll be back at NMLC from time to time, and I hope they are able to develop an ongoing and mutually beneficial relationship with Tufts in the future. It will be exciting to hear about the projects future students in my program decide to work on. For now, I get to say goodbye right along with Kennedy. Her release is scheduled for this coming Saturday, so I’ll have one last new and exciting experience before I go.

Posted by Danielle G.
Danielle is a Winter, 2015 Intern at the National Marine Life Center. She is working towareds a Master’s degree in Animals and Public Policy at Tufts University.