C.E.L.A. Belize: Wildlife Health, Ecology, and Conservation

Hello! My name is Alyssa Rodriguez and I am a senior studying Laboratory Animal Science. With my degree, I plan on pursuing a Ph.D. in the field of animal behavior and neuroscience. This winter, I will be traveling to Belize to be a part of the CELA Wildlife Health, Ecology, and Conservation study abroad program. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to work with tropical wildlife and to learn how the Belize Zoo operates to maximize their conservation efforts. For fun and relaxation, I enjoy watching Ted Talks, spending time with my friends and family and practicing aromatherapy.

Hi there! My name is Andrew Morace and I'm a junior animal science major on the pre-veterinary track here at Rutgers. I plan on taking my education here and using it to pursue vet school so I can become a veterinarian. I am a commuter from East Brunswick, New Jersey so I'm pretty close by and have been local to Rutgers most of my life. I enjoy being a part of the community here you may know me from places like the Department of Leadership and Experiential Learning or New Student Orientation! In my free time you can find me at playing with my dogs at home, playing video games, going out with friends and hanging out at the Rutgers farm.

Hello, my name is Cindy Salazar, a junior attending Rutgers University and I am studying animal science and am on the pre-vet track. I am going to be traveling to Belize this summer and I am very excited to be studying abroad for the very first time! My goal is to gain enough experience to be able to add onto my CV when applying to veterinary schools after my Rutgers graduation. Before attending Rutgers, I attended Hudson County Community College and earned my associates degree in Biology. While Rutgers was always on my plan, I actually never thought that studying abroad would be part of it. I cannot wait to share my experiences with my peers and am excited for this life-changing trip!

Hi, my name is Donna Climent and I am a junior at Rutgers University. My major is Ecology, Evolution, & Natural Resources, with a certificate in Environmental Geomatics. I will be traveling to Belize this summer for the Wildlife Health, Ecology, and Conservation course with CELA Belize. I have always loved animals and being able to learn more about them while studying at the Belize Zoo is so exciting. Wildlife conservation is very important to me, so I know I will benefit greatly from this hands-on experience. I am ready for this new adventure!

My name is Emily Griffin and I am a third year animal science student at Rutgers University. I have known I wanted to work with animals my entire life. Over the summer, I work at the Bergen County Zoo with all sorts of amazing animals. I love working there and I am so excited to study at the Belize Zoo over the winter break and learn more about what I love.

Hey! My name is Helena Demarest and I am a rising junior on the companion animal science track at Rutgers! I am from Bergen County which is up north in Jersey. I am planning to use my education here to make a difference for our ecosystem. I used to be pre-vet because I love animals, but I realized I also have a passion for politics and the environment and I wanted to combine all of that in my career. This trip to Belize is perfect for me. If you see me around campus, I most likely have headphones listening to my favorite music. During my free time I love to watch movies and go out with my friends!

Hi, my name is Kayla Luis and I am a freshman majoring in Animal Science with a double minor in Spanish and Portuguese. I am going to become a Resident Assistant next year and am also a part of the Pre-Veterinary club here at Rutgers. I am super excited for the opportunity to work with animals through the CELA Belize program! I love learning and can not wait to be immersed in a new culture while working with animals!

Hello! My name is Kyra Boss and I am a third-year Animal Science major with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Research. At Rutgers, I am a member of the national service sorority Omega Phi Alpha, and a captain of the central planning team for New Jersey’s largest student-run philanthropic event, Rutgers University Dance Marathon. I spend most of my days at the Rutgers Farm, working with the sheep, goats, horses, and pigs. While I absolutely love my time with the livestock animals, I aspire to gain experience working with as many different species as I can on the road to veterinary school. The Wildlife, Health, Ecology, and Conservation course in Belize will help me to accomplish this goal. It has always been a dream of mine to study abroad. I’ve always wanted to travel, and learn about different cultures and ways of life through first-hand experiences. I look forward to my journey to Belize because of the opportunity it gives me to get out of my comfort zone, learn new things, and go on a once in a lifetime adventure working with animals.

My name is Letticia Perez. I graduated from Hudson County Community College with an associate in Biology. Currently, I am a Rutgers student majoring in Pre-veterinary medicine. If I’m not hitting the books I am working at Mad Science as a lead scientist. I teach children from ages 4-14 basic science concepts and perform in-class science experiments. Occasionally, I pet sit dogs, cats, bunnies, even hamsters. I am CPR and AED certified for adults, children and infants. I also have a pet aid certification. During my downtime I volunteer for my local TNR program and the community cat shelter. I assist in adoptions and love to foster older cats in need. My goal is to become a veterinarian and open a practice in an urban community that offers low cost vet care.

Hi! My name is Marina. I am a junior at Rutgers University. My degree is Animal Science with Pre-Veterinary and Research option. To go to study abroad became my dream long time ago, when I was 17. I went to the university in Ukraine (my original country), and we had presentations from students who went abroad telling there experience and time spend in different countries. Their stories inspired me, and going study abroad one day became my goal. One thing that stopped me from going to another country was a language barrier, I didn’t speak English well that time. Few years later, thanks to my father, I came to USA. It was my first experience going to another country. I learned English, overcame my fear of speaking another language, even learned my forth language - Spanish, and now I fell comfortable to go anywhere, to any country. I am so happy and thankful to have an opportunity to study abroad in Belize, to have new experience, new emotions and new memories. Can’t wait for my trip to start!

My name is Melissa Ortiz, a third year student at Rutgers University majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always had an incredible love for nature and have dreamed of working with animals(I must thank my dad for paying for all my National Geographic subscriptions all these years). This passion is what led me to where I am now. I have chosen to study abroad in Belize in hopes of coming to the realization as to where my path lies: in veterinary science or conservation work. During my month stay, I will be taking two different hands-on courses focused on these two fields of study. Without a doubt, the experience I will have during my abroad program will be eye-opening and I am very excited to see how this will shape my future endeavors.

Hello! My name is Michelle Arias and I am a senior studying Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources. This winter I will be traveling to Belize to study Wildlife Health, Ecology, and Conservation. My main goal for this trip is to learn more about the practices and programs in wildlife conservation and education since this is a field that I plan to pursue in the future. I can't wait to take part in every aspect of this trip, but I am most excited for activities such as monitoring wild and captive animals, bird banding and mist netting. I am always searching for new adventures that will help me grows as a person and I am sincerely grateful for SEBS for making my Belize adventure a possibility!

Hi my name is Rebecca Schultz, and I am a Junior Animal Science major, and an Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources minor at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers. I am apart of really great organizations on campus, such as Alpha Zeta Fraternity, Veterinary Science Club, and Oceanography Club. I am super excited to be studying abroad in Belize this Winter as a part of the C.E.L.A Wildlife Health, Ecology and Conservation program.

My name is Shannon Dalton, and I am going to be a senior undergraduate student at Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences. I am perusing an Animal Science degree, and am visiting Belize for a month. Abroad I will be working alongside of two highly accredited Central American veterinarians and working hands-on with Belize's amazing animals in San Ignacio and at the Belize Zoo. I am Very excited for this amazing adventure and opportunity!

Hi everyone! My name is Tatjana Burke. I am a current freshman here at Rutgers—New Brunswick majoring in Animal Science/Pre-Veterinary Studies. I am SUPER excited to be getting ready to embark on the experience of a lifetime through CELA Belize where I will be studying Large Animal Veterinary Practices and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation!! I have known I wanted to go into veterinary medicine for as long as I have been alive, and I am super fortunate to have the had the opportunities to work in small animal clinics, volunteer at a therapeutic riding, and more recently here on the Cook Campus Farm! My ultimate goal for this experience is to be able to learn practice the veterinary skills I will need to use in the future, and I also hope to make friendships and professional networks capable of lasting a lifetime! Thank you so much SEBS for helping me along my journey and for being by my side as I pursue my dream!