I didn’t actually touch the ocean until I was 11 years old! I grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio. I was a stubborn kid who loved animals, adventures, and being outside more than anything else. I wanted to feel dirt under my feet and the sun on my face, and I wanted to know how everything worked.
I wondered how whales knew which way to go when they crossed oceans and what my dog was hearing when he was staring into the wind. I dreamed of seeing the world outside of Cleveland, and I was always asking questions. How many other people made their shelter below the towering oak in my front yard, long before my house or my city existed? Does the actual rainforest smell the same way it does in the Cleveland Zoo’s rainforest exhibit?
When I found the answers they felt like magic, and I later realized that this was science. If you’re thinking I’m crazy for calling science "magic," let me explain. The best part about being a scientist is that you get to spend your life asking the questions that you find interesting and answering them. Why does ice cream taste so good? Why does everything smell new after it rains? Why is laughing so much better when I’m supposed to be quiet? Does my dog understand me when I’m talking to him, or does he just want treats? If you’ve ever asked a question like this, you’ve thought like a scientist! Your journey has begun.
Although my own journey as a scientist began many years ago when I was still a stubborn kid in Cleveland far away from the ocean, things really changed the first time I ever swam with sharks. I learned my whole life that sharks were scary and that they wanted to eat me.
