University of Wisconsin–Madison

United States: Abigail Rajala

Program: UW Marine Biology in the Florida Keys, Winter Intersession

Major: Environmental Sciences

Describe your internship, research, or fieldwork and how the experience helped advance your career or studies.

This program was the first time I designed, conducted, and completed a research project completely independently. This was an amazing opportunity where I learned a lot about how to work on problems with research, and how to perform data analysis once all the data was collected. I felt very proud of myself, and my confidence grew in my ability to contribute to other research projects going on at UW.

A group of students in front of a sign that say "Keys Marine Laboratory" next to the ocean.
This is a group photo of all the students and professors we took on our second-to-last day of the program.

What is your most memorable experience from your program?

The most memorable experience was snorkeling at a reef called “Coffin’s Patch”. We saw a Green Sea Turtle the second we got in the water. It was a very surreal experience to be swimming with a sea turtle and watching it for such a long time. About a minute after it left, we saw a Nurse Shark swimming around the bottom of the reef, which was so cool. It was huge (probably around 7-8 feet), and I felt so lucky to be snorkeling at this patch where we saw so many beautiful marine creatures. On our boat ride back to the lab, a pod of dolphins was jumping out of the water around us and even riding in the waves of the boat motor.

quotation mark
While I still am interested in freshwater systems, I found that this program has increased my confidence and knowledge surrounding salt water systems.

How will your experience benefit you in the future? How might it affect your future career or studies?

I am interested in a career in water science and conservation, but I have always felt limited to just working with freshwater systems. While I still am interested in freshwater systems, I found that this program has increased my confidence and knowledge surrounding saltwater systems. In the future when I am looking for jobs, I will likely also search for water conservation jobs that are on the coasts of countries instead of just the Midwest.

Abigail snorkeling, head out of water, holding a lightning whelk.
This is a picture of me on our second day snorkeling when I found a Lightning Whelk! I was very happy to find a fun creature and we were able to bring it back to the lab to study its behavior.

How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?

This biology program was very focused on science and research, which can be intimidating as a woman, wondering if you will be supported the same as a man. However, I found the instructors and fellow students to be very uplifting and helpful and felt very supported as a woman in STEM on this program. I would advise women going on this program to be friendly with one another and feel confident in their abilities!