Research Experience with Simon

Transcript

Fort Peck Community College has long associated with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. AIHEC for short. One student with firsthand knowledge of AIHEC is Simon who has had the chance to travel out of the state while participating. He’s also taken his love of working with animals to a whole new level while at FPCC. All right, Simon, you’re on. Go for it.

– Thank you for introducing me, Alex, and hello, everyone. When I first started here at Fort Peck Community College, I knew I wanted to work with animals and not only has FPCC allowed me to work directly with animals while I’m well on my way to becoming a wildlife biologist. From a young age, I knew I wanted to work with animals. I just didn’t know what that looked like as a career. After high school, I took a gap year to figure things out, work and traveling. One of the most important experience I had was as a student researcher conducting field work on turtles along the Yellowstone River in Montana. It showed me how much I love working directly with wildlife and doing outdoor research. Since then, FPCC has given me many opportunities to grow in the right direction, like being hired as an intern to help at the Buffalo Ranch here, along with studying the local wildlife and surrounding ecosystem. These amazing hands-on experiences have helped me see the bigger picture of what it means to become a wildlife biologist. FPCC also gave me the opportunity to travel as a part of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium or AIHEC for short. On our trip, I competed in the science bowl and took part in the poster presentation. It was a fun experience where I met other native students, shared ideas, and learned more about science in the supportive environment. It’s just my first year and Fort Peck Community College has already given me multiple opportunities to thrive both personally and professionally. I’m grateful for the experience I’ve had so far and I’m excited for what’s ahead, not just for me, but for people on a similar path. That’s all I have to say. Back to you, Alex.

– That is awesome, Simon, what a remarkable journey you have been on already in your life and we’re just as excited as you are to see what’s ahead for you. We know that with Fort Peck’s support, your wildlife biology dreams will come true. All the best.