I love animals. Love ‘em. So much, in fact, that I was a Natural Resources Management major with a concentration in wildlife biology at Texas Tech (the very university that Patrick Mahomes played for). I knew I wanted to work with animals in some capacity, but my experience working in a veterinary clinic had steered me away from that path. It was my junior year, and I was taking a Fire Ecology course. Our semester-end project was worth 20% of our grade and we were instructed to do a literature review on any topic related to fire ecology. My classmates chose topics such as prescribed burns or the long-term impact of wildland fires on an environment’s ecological balance—but not me.

As I was reading these (incredibly boring) pieces of peer-reviewed literature, I was truly seeing the gap between scientific research and educating the public. In other words, how can scientists take this research and use it to educate the public? Then it hit me. Smokey the Bear. I know him, you probably know him…a majority of the US population probably knows him. Since 1944, the US Forest Service has used this family-friendly character to educate mass audiences about the prevention of wildfires.

I got more than an A on that project. My incredibly progressive professor recognized something in me that I didn’t know how to articulate at the time. She told me I think very differently than the other science majors I shared a degree path with, and encouraged me to do some research into getting my minor in some type of communications. Needless to say, I took the plunge and earned my minor in Public Relations, followed by a Master of Arts in Media & Communications.

I’ve been able to work at zoos and museums throughout the country, utilizing my storytelling and creative abilities to become an advocate for wildlife conservation. I transitioned into other non-profit work to continue building my skillset and furthering connections. The thing I’ve learned about myself is I want to use my creativity to help individuals and businesses turn their vision into a reality. Let’s work together.