1) As a woman aspiring toward a career in carnivore ecology, I know the path ahead will be difficult. My future subjects have sharp teeth and claws, but even more hazardous is navigating a field where most leaders are men. Many of the female scientists I admire had to push through those barriers and achieve success despite exclusion by their academic peers and ridicule from local communities because of their gender. Rae Wynn-Jones, an ecologist helping conserve black bears, wrote that growing up she never saw a scientist who looked like her; Marcella Kelly, a researcher studying wild cats in South America, said her female grad students must work twice as hard in the field to get half the recognition as their male counterparts. This makes the field intimidating to someone like me who is just getting started, but having these women as role models has inspired me to pursue my passion despite the odds and serve as the model for the next generation of female scientists. Knowing I will be underestimated means I have to be prepared for the highest expectations, so I am striving to learn everything I can and meet every possible standard, which will make me an asset to the field. I’m also working on establishing a close-knit professional network of professors and peers in my degree program who share my goals, values, and frustrations, which will be helpful for not only finding opportunities in my professional career, but my personal life as well. The challenges of being a woman in carnivore ecology require that I have passion for the work and faith in myself, and that has made me not only a better candidate for the job, but a more confident and skilled person. 2) For my family, our financial struggles have always limited our opportunities. I am attending school on a scholarship and working part-time to help pay the bills, but I am even more concerned about how I will pay for graduate school that will provide crucial experience and credentials for me in the field of wildlife conservation. Can I justify the added burden of thousands of dollars of debt? More urgently, I am often unable to participate in research experiences because of my low-income status. Many conservation projects that interest me require that volunteers pay to participate, and the programs that take place internationally would require me to pay out of pocket for international flights and lodging. Because of my family’s financial situation, I also do not own a car, which means I cannot take part in experiences with a long commute from my location or that require a personal vehicle on site. I believe that I am a passionate, hardworking individual with the ability to make a difference in the field of ecology if I have the opportunity, but it seems like my chances are slipping away because of my financial hardship. I will need outside aid to break into the field and put together an appealing portfolio for my graduate school applications. 3) From a young age, I knew I wanted to work with animals. From watching shows on TV, I thought my only choice was to be a veterinarian, but I hated the idea of performing surgeries. As I read, watched, and sought out more information about the natural world and the people who conserve it, I realized conservation would provide a natural outlet for my interest in wildlife behavior and preserving the environment for future generations. Now, I hope to answer two questions: Why do animals behave in certain ways, and how can we create solutions for people and wildlife to live together? For the purpose of these essays, I’ve boiled down my core interest to carnivore ecology, but more broadly I hope to work in human-wildlife coexistence, or improving the lives of communities that live alongside potentially risky species like wolves, bears, or elephants. I want the work I do to directly benefit both people and animals, from setting aside protected habitat for red wolves to setting up livestock guarding dog programs to discourage wild cats from eating a community’s main source of income. Additionally, in high school, I volunteered at the Dallas Zoo, where I learned the importance of communicating with people about how their seemingly small everyday actions can contribute to the conservation of species abroad and in their own backyards. Since then, I’ve been motivated to not only assist communities but to educate and inspire others to make sustainable choices that affect the environment we all depend on, like choosing reef-safe sunscreen, buying products with sustainably sourced palm oil, and planting native pollinator gardens that provide habitat for the bees and butterflies that produce a third of the food we eat. In short, choosing conservation was simple for me because it allows me to give back to the environment and spend time with animals and people who care about them. 4) At TCU, I am majoring in biology with a journalism minor. I am taking intensive STEM courses relevant to my future career, like biostatistics, mammalogy, and conservation genetics, while also developing a strong background in communications so I can more effectively talk to people about the value of wildlife and how they can help save species by taking simple actions in their own homes. Since my freshman year, I have written environmental articles for my student paper educating my peers on issues like deforestation, ocean plastic, and the impact of light pollution on bird migration. With this two-pronged approach, I hope to gain a strong ecological understanding and learn how to communicate with different kinds of people about environmental issues. After I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school for a master’s in wildlife conservation, where I will focus on reducing human-wildlife conflict in high-risk communities and protect habitat for endangered species like wild cats, bears, and pangolins. I believe my major and minor provide a helpful foundation for my future, and I’m enjoying my undergraduate experience.

As a college student, managing my workload and stress level can be a struggle. This year, I've been making sure to take breaks and spend time with people who make me smile so I can succeed in school while prioritizing my mental health. Sometimes the smallest breaks bring me the most joy. If I’m struggling with an assignment, I’ll step back, breathe in and out, and take what I call a window break. I’ll pull up my window screen to feel the fresh air, play upbeat music, and dance. Even if my break only lasts five minutes, I always feel more refreshed and calm afterward. In the past, I found it difficult to make time for my friends in the midst of all my other commitments, but this fall I also made a point of having dinner with a friend at least once a week. Staying up to date on their lives and how we were feeling seemed to lighten the load of my semester, and I felt more in touch with the people who matter to me. Many thanks to the friends who choose to make time for me! Most of all, I’m grateful for my mom, who sends me jokes, encouragement, and funny stories from work every day. Seeing her texts reminds me how I am blessed to have someone who cares so much about me. As the president of two clubs, an intern, an editor for the school paper, and a research assistant, I can get swept up in the chaos of my week and forget to take time to breathe and enjoy it. But these small things - a lunch date, text message, or quick song break - keep me grounded and help me succeed with a more positive outlook.

Hi - I’m Camilla, an aspiring wildlife conservationist and journalist with a heart for service and a work ethic second to none. My career goals are to make a better world for animals and the people who live alongside them by learning more about how animals behave, protecting and restoring habitat for wildlife, and educating people on how human and wild communities can coexist. Outside of my professional path, I am choosing to give my time and energy to projects that are meaningful to me, like making my university more environmentally friendly and spending time with people with special needs. As a student in STEM and communication studies, I understand the importance of connecting people with nature for our health and the planet’s. On campus, I work for our student media as an environmental reporter and as the social media manager for the TCU Sustainability Committee, where I share how students can make environmentally friendly choices like reducing their food waste and turning out lights at night for migrating birds. TCU has not historically been a “green” university, but by planning a campus pollinator garden, hosting a secondhand clothing swap, and advocating for greener dining options, I’m actively changing our reputation and how our student body thinks about the environment. However, my favorite experiences at TCU have stemmed not from my future career path, but from my values. In high school, I served as an officer for Circle of Friends, a group that connected special needs students at our school with peers for social events, like movie nights and restaurant outings. It was one of the most rewarding experiences in my life, and I’ve continued to fulfill my passion of spending time with individuals with special needs by participating in the TCU Special Olympics Club. The joy and belonging at Special Olympics inspires me to value inclusion and understanding of individuals with unique perspectives and life experiences in all aspects of my life. This fall at TCU, I’m excited to lead two service groups, one for Honors students and one dedicated to the environment, so I can more fully contribute to making my campus and the surrounding community a healthier and happier place. We will be organizing campus clean-ups, hosting voter registration drives, writing letters to local first responders, and tabling to raise awareness of social and environmental justice issues. Most importantly, I will make sure both groups are safe spaces where anyone can feel like they belong. Students with financial need will not be required to pay dues, and all members will be encouraged to suggest new events for the club to take part. Serving others is an indelible part of my life and always will be, both professionally and personally. I am excited about creating new opportunities to contribute to my community this year and in the future. As a student with financial need, attending college has not been easy as I’ve struggled with paying for textbooks and meal plans. With your help, I know my work ethic, skills, and positivity will ensure I can make a genuine difference for people and animals in college and beyond. Thank you for your consideration and for offering this scholarship.

I have always been inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall for her trailblazing fieldwork on animal behavior as a woman in science and her enduring hope that wild and human communities can live together. She discovered tool use in animals, pioneered the field of animal behavior, and founded organizations like Roots and Shoots to engage young people in meaningful, hands-on conservation work. She has accomplished so much, but her hopeful attitude for the future of humanity and the environment stands out to me the most. In the future, I hope to emulate Dr. Goodall by breaking barriers as a scientist in the field of carnivore research and inspiring others to care for wildlife as an author and public speaker.

By 2050, we could live in a world where orangutans and honeybees are extinct, half the Amazon has been cut down, and there are more plastic than fish in the ocean. Why does environmental sustainability matter, and what can we do? Humans tend to center ourselves when we think about life on Earth, but we need nature more than we realize. The environment provides the resources we need to survive, regulates the climate, and even boosts our mood. In short, the planet makes it possible for us to live and thrive – and we are not alone. As many as 12 million species may share our planet with us, and each has a valuable role to play, from tigers to tiger beetles. Shrewd conservationists pitch wildlife as providing resources and cleaning up our messes. Plant species create life-saving medicine, vultures prevent carrion from making us sick, and pollinators like bees and butterflies provide one in every three bites of food we eat. But species are vanishing at an alarming rate, often before we truly know what we’ve lost. Ecologists liken this to loosening the rivets on an airplane wing. Removing a single rivet may not make a large difference, but eventually the plane will reach a tipping point and fall apart. With our resources, health, and wellbeing at risk, how many more species can we afford to lose? Right now, humanity is in the middle of the Earth’s sixth mass extinction. Nearly 70% of species worldwide have gone extinct since 1970 due to human overexploitation. However, we can also be the solution. Two of the most important actions we can take today are reducing carbon emissions that contribute to climate change and setting aside protected habitat for endangered species. Both of these can and should be done on any scale, from individuals to nations. As consumers, we need to think about our purchasing choices and how we can make them more sustainable. Some simple ways to start are choosing products certified by a conservation organization, like Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee and Forest Stewardship Council paper products. Both of these groups work to prevent deforestation and create Fair Trade programs for workers to benefit people and the planet. We can also avoid purchasing products that harm the environment, like clothes made with fossil fuel-based synthetic fibers or single-use plastic like bags and packaging that infiltrates our waterways and puts our health at risk. Similarly, we can positively impact our own backyard ecosystems by avoiding the use of synthetic pesticides, which run off yards into local waterways, polluting water sources and killing wildlife. In our homes, we can also reduce our energy consumption, from installing solar panels so we no longer rely on fossil fuels to putting on a jacket instead of raising the thermostat. At my house, we use strip plugs with an ‘off’ switch so we can prevent running electronics from sucking up ‘vampire energy’, which adds to the Earth’s warming and our energy bill. On a global level, many countries have pledged to conserve 30% of the Earth’s surface by 2030. This is a good start, but we must encourage our legislators to advocate for endangered species by pledging financial support toward conservation efforts, regulating the illegal wildlife trade, investing in renewable energy, curbing plastic pollution, and adding plants and animals in decline to their endangered species lists. In the end though, conservation depends on community support. The single most important thing any of us can do for our world is educate and engage others with our beautiful planet. At TCU, I write for our student media as an environmental reporter, create social media posts for the campus Sustainability Committee, and co-founded the Student Sustainability Council to raise awareness and promote sustainable campus initiatives to my peers. The response has been overwhelmingly positive as many students learn about conservation issues like light pollution and sustainable palm oil plantations for the first time. More than anything, conservation is about collaboration. In its first semester, the Student Sustainability Council organized community cleanups, planned a campus pollinator garden, and hosted TCU’s first-ever sustainable clothing swap to encourage students to swap or shop secondhand. After I graduate, I will be able to look back and realize I left a lasting legacy for wildlife at my university. Next semester, I will continue to improve campus sustainability by serving as the president of the TCU Rhino Initiative Club. The group was founded by students who traveled to South Africa on a study abroad trip and learned about the rhino poaching crisis, where a rhino is killed by poachers for its horn every day. While our funds will continue to support rhino conservation initiatives abroad, I am changing our outlook to ‘Think global, act local’ to inspire my classmates to appreciate the wildness in our own backyards. We’ll clean up nearby parks, invite guest speakers from local conservation organizations, and take action as consumers to reduce our resource use and spread the word about local wildlife. Our planet’s greatest hope comes from its most important stakeholders: future generations of people and wild species. We are merely placeholders, and it is our duty to leave the planet better than we found it for those who come after us. The need for protecting vulnerable species is ever-growing, but so are sustainable solutions, innovated and executed by people driven to save the planet and our posterity, and I have great hope for the future. My experience with conservation has taught me so much about what it means to be an advocate for nature. I have much more to learn, and I have the work ethic, passion, and collaborative spirit to make a difference given the means. Will you help me along the way? Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.