Throughout my life, I've been to the beach three times. I'm from a rural area in central Kentucky, and the nearest ocean is at least nine hours away. However, I remember each time I visited the ocean quite vividly. The salty water is an emerald green to crystal clear blue (it depends on who you ask, honestly), and it's always mesmerized me. The world's oceans cover 71% of our planet, yet we know almost nothing about what lies beneath the water's surface. The ocean has always fascinated me, but I never really gave it much thought as a child - I just knew that I loved swimming in it.

Career planning is a big part of any child's life, and I'm definitely not an exception. I've wanted to pursue many different careers - I've dreamt of being everything from a doctor to a lawyer, but none of those aspirations were based on doing what I loved, what I was passionate about. It's important to note that although I've grown up in an inland state, I've spent much of my life in water. I've been swimming since age two, and as a fourth-year swimmer and senior in high school, I'm now Varsity Team Captain of my high school's swim team. I'm very much at home in the water, and I see now the role that this has played in my future career endeavors.

I never thought about pursuing a degree in Marine Science until this past July, on vacation in Destin, Florida. I sat on a boat in the middle of the ocean, parasailing on the Gulf Coast in Florida like the tourist that I was when all of a sudden, a school of dolphins began to hunt in the waters around the boat. I watched them as they swam through the water, having most likely stumbled upon a school of fish that looked like they would make a great lunch. I was instantly mesmerized by these dolphins, and this experience spurred a passion inside of me that has always been there, I just didn't know it yet.

In the days after I arrived back in Kentucky, I began researching the Marine Science field and all that you can do in it. You can do everything from coral reef conservation to studying shark migration habits. You can travel the world studying the ocean and its inhabitants, and there are many more opportunities around the world than one might think. The world's oceans are rapidly deteriorating and it's vital now more than ever to study and learn about them so that we can better protect them. As wide and vast as the world's oceans are, it's easy to find something that interests you and with drive and determination, it's certainly possible to build a career doing what you love where you love.

As a second-semester high school senior enrolling at Troy University this fall, I've decided that I truly do desire to study the ocean, and I aspire to build my life around it. You see, I've never been one to want a job that simply pays the bills and pays well. Work should excite you - it should fulfill you and genuinely motivate you to be a better person. I'm a firm believer that if more people in our nation and the world woke up every day excited to go to work and loved their work, our world would be a better place.