About Me
When I graduated from Florida State, I wanted to make sure that my first real experience out of college gave me the opportunities for professional development in the education and research field. I wanted something that would challenge me in all aspects of my life and really inspire me to make decisions about my future. I decided to move 2,000 miles away from home to work at the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN. This internship and experience helped me learn a lot about myself and about the world around me, but most importantly it taught me about the importance of hard work, teamwork, and the value of research in today’s society. I am able to now address every situation with confidence, knowledge, and efficiency.
Working with wildlife for many years, I have truly become fascinated with the impact that the environment has on specific species. At the International Wolf Center, I was able to observe and record hours of animal behavioral data. With being able to understand wolf ethology, I was able to get an understanding for the type of influence environmental stressors, especially ones created by people, have on wild animals. Being able to perform a Directed Individual Study through school at Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary allowed me to not only gain experience in the wildlife field, but also allowed me to learn more about the general concepts of wildlife biology. These opportunities, along with many others, truly helped to inspire me to persue my passion for research and Veterinary medicine.
Along with my academic pursuits, I have been fortunate enough to participate with interest in various co-curricular activities, such as being an active member and leader in my sorority at Florida State, Alpha Chi Omega, as well as other prominent organizations and honor societies on Florida State University's campus.
Currently, I am a graduate student at Oklahoma State University pursuing a M.S. degree in Zoology. Also, I am a current student in the Graduate Interdisciplinary Toxicology Certificate Program, and I hope to graduate in the summer or fall of 2017. Go Noles! Go Pokes!
The field of Science has always been a fascination and seemingly more of a marvel to me since my childhood, when I spoke my first word, which happened to be “duck”. From that moment forward, I knew I wanted a life incoporated with studying animals.
I grew up in an Italian Catholic home, where food, family, and service were three topics we always talked about. My passion for service was instilled in me from a very young age with the help of my school teachers, as well as my mom. Although I was very service-oriented, I never knew how to really connect this part of my life with my childhood passion and fascination with working with animals. During the beginning of my high school career, I began volunteering at local animal hospitals to get an idea of what it would be like to work with animals on a daily basis. The passion and interest I have gained since volunteering in those animal hospitals led me to enroll in two semesters of Directed Individual Study at the Goose Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Tallahassee, Florida during my undergraduate career; and eventually, to move two thousand miles away from my home to serve as an Educator at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota.
My love for traveling and for adventure started as well at a very young age. I have dogsledded in Quebec City, Canyon Jumped in Switzerland, cruised through the Panama Canal, taken a cross country train trip from Florida to California, and the list goes on and on! In high school, I was fortunate enough to be able to study abroad in Taormina, Sicily primarily to learn more about my family roots. And if that wasn't enough, I even recieved the opportunity to study abroad again in Florence, Italy when I was a Junior at Florida State.
Unlike most students that pursue a graduate degree in Biology, I had no idea this is what I wanted to do until late in my undergraduate career at Florida State University. So late, that I was in my last six months of being an undergraduate. As this realization took hold, I quickly found opportunities at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s Farm (FAMU) and Extension Center with the help of Dr. Wright and Dr. Purvis. I was able to design a research project regarding the reduction of Coccidia in herds of goats.
Future Goals:
After I finish my Masters Degree in Integrative Biology (Zoology), I intend to continue on to obtain my Doctorate (PhD) and Veterinary degree (DVM), to pursue research relevant to veterinary medicine and wildlife conservation. I am confident that more experience in animal behavioral research will not only allow me to become a successful, innovative professional and researcher, but will also assist me in accomplishing the dreams I’ve had since I was a little girl.
Kendall Scarlett
McMurry Lab
Oklahoma State University