Carole H. Beveridge Memorial Scholarship

I have volunteered at the Trevor Zoo, part of the Millbrook School in Millbrook, NY, for the past two summers. I started at the volunteer rank and was promoted to the counselor rank the second summer. I cared for a large variety of animals, including marmosets, tamarins, lemurs, goats, wolves, keas, tortoises, rheas, Patagonian cavies, and a golden taveta weaver, and, in my rank as a counselor, I lead the volunteers through the animal care activities. I participated in and directed tasks including, feeding, refilling water bowls, cleaning enclosures, preparing food, washing dishes, preparing and introducing enrichment, and recording observations of the animals. It was at the Trevor Zoo that I realized that I had a passion for working with animals and studying their behavior both in captivity and in the wild. I obtained an additional volunteer position at the Dreaming of a Chance bird sanctuary at Lilymore Farm, in Pleasant Valley, NY. During my time at this sanctuary, I had the opportunity to work with chickens, ducks, geese, domestic pigeons, an elderly turkey, and a blind turkey vulture. While working at the sanctuary, I learned quite a bit about the intelligence and behavior of these types of birds, including the fascinating fact that pigeons are now being used, quite successfully, in cancer detection. It's astonishing how many pigeons are abandoned each year, and domestic birds such as these have little to no hope of surviving in the wild. Moved by the plight of these fascinating and intuitive creatures, I took the initiative to start a fundraiser to raise money for a new enclosure. I was successful in this endeavor, making room for over a dozen recently rescued pigeons. I have proud to have been accepted into the Wildlife Management and Conservation program at Delaware Valley University. I have also been asked to participate in the Honors program. I plan to study to become an ethologist (a zoologist specializing in animal behavior). The psychology of animals is fascinating to me and I hope to have many opportunities to study their behavior and contribute to conservation in a meaningful way. I hope to receive this scholarship to offset the cost of my living expenses and fees and minimize my total debt upon graduation. Studying animal behavior may be my passion, but it is not the most financially lucrative career. I would like to be able to pursue a meaningful career and not have to make sacrifice my calling due to overwhelming college debt.