When Mary Kelly transferred to PennWest University during her freshman year, she was looking for a program that matched her passion for wildlife.
What she found was a field full of possibilities.
“I remember my first day at PennWest,” Kelly said. “I remember writing down when I came home how inspired I was.”
Now, before beginning her junior year as a fisheries and wildlife biology major, Kelly has already explored tropical ecosystems in Costa Rica and is preparing for an eight-week marine conservation internship in Thailand.
After spending her first semester elsewhere, Kelly transferred to PennWest seeking a more specialized education focused on fisheries and wildlife biology. Through fieldwork, research projects and mentorship from faculty members, she said she quickly discovered opportunities that aligned with her long-term goals.
“I saw all the specialized classes for wildlife,” Kelly said. “Since then, I've seen so many opportunities come up.”
This summer has offered another chance to expand those experiences.
In Costa Rica, Kelly spent nine days exploring tropical ecosystems, hiking through rainforests at night and encountering wildlife she had previously only seen in books and documentaries, including toucans, colorful motmots, tarantulas and scorpions. The trip also introduced her to new cultures and environments far different from those found in western Pennsylvania.
Later this summer, she will travel to Koh Tao, Thailand, where she will earn scuba certification and participate in marine conservation research focused on coral reef ecosystems. During the internship portion of the program, Kelly plans to join a project focused on blacktip reef shark conservation.
“I love sharks,” Kelly said. “I was super excited to work on that.”
Kelly hopes to continue pursuing conservation and wildlife rehabilitation projects after graduation, working with animals and ecosystems around the world.
“I don’t want to be limited to just the species local to me,” she said. “I want to see a lot of foreign species, too.”
For Kelly, PennWest opened the door to opportunities she never knew existed.
“I think moving to PennWest really opened my eyes,” she said. “There’s a lot I can do in this field that I wasn’t aware of before.”
Learn More
Kelly joined fellow PennWest students and faculty members on an episode of The Power of PennWest podcast to discuss international learning experiences, wildlife conservation and opportunities to gain hands-on experience beyond the classroom.