My journey to getting a Fulbright Scholarship to research marine biology in Brazil was really a serendipitous one. I really can't say that I got funding because I'm smart, or even because I wrote a good proposal. Instead, I point to being eager, passionate, and determined to follow my dreams. But even so I couldn't have accomplished all that I have without the help and support of my professors, who pushed me toward excellence.

In the spring of 2006, I took a semester off from Puget Sound to study abroad in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, where I first learned Portuguese. Studying abroad was always a priority for me. The study abroad office was very supportive and helped me find programs that were right for me, but in the end I decided to take a leave of absence from Puget Sound to pursue a program that wasn't approved.

Living in Brazil were some of the most fun of my life. While there I took a scuba vacation to a national marine park called Abrolhos. Abrolhos consists of an archipelago of five islands and two main coral reefs. In the area there are everything from hundreds of fish species to turtles and humpback whales. Every species of coral that exists in Brazil occurs in the Abrolhos area. Well, my American charm appealed to the park officials who wanted an intern that could translate for them and work with tourists. I returned months later as a biology intern, working with tourists and cleaning up shipwrecks. It was an awesome life to scuba, snorkel, and examine marine birds every day for a month.

Sharks and rays are relatively rare in the area but I would always get excited and tell my boss-a nonbiologist park ranger-about all the different species I saw. As it turns out, she knew a shark expert who was currently looking for a research aide to train. Lucky me! I made a good case for myself by being the best intern I could, and I arranged to return to work with a Brazilian shark expert. In the meantime I thought it wise to apply for research grants.

I first heard about the Fulbright in German 101, of all crazy places to inspire my biology funding. Professors Kent Hooper and David Tinsley are great about encouraging German students to apply for teaching Fulbright grants to go to Germany. In Herr Hooper's office my sophomore year I was first introduced to this idea, and I read about the possibilities of getting funding for research in countries all over the world-including Brazil.

Even when I came home from Brazil, applying for funding was not the first thing on my mind. Leslie Saucedo, then my Cancer Biology professor, encouraged me to think about research grants after I graduate. At that point I had only a week to start and finish a Fulbright application (something I wouldn't recommend to anyone). My freshman-year biology professor (Jennifer Burnaford) read my proposal and helped me revise it-a LOT. Even after that, professors-biology and otherwise-continued to help me revise my application and lent me lots of support.

In the end, my favorite thing about Puget Sound was something that helped me during my four years here and will continue to help me beyond. The professors here go out of their way to be supportive and inspiring. I could always tell they wanted what's best for me, and I can never thank them enough for the help they gave me that will allow me to live on a beach and get paid to scuba dive for a year.