Elevate Your Life

 Thomas Butler
Troop 92

My dream is to discover a new species of marine animal. I know this is a daunting task, but the chance to travel the world would make it absolutely worthwhile. The opportunity to see a species that no one ever thought existed in its natural environment would be amazing. I would enjoy analyzing its ecosystem and observing what role it serves in its environment.

 I plan to achieve this through education, training, and perseverance, but more on that later. First, let’s talk about education. I plan to be a marine biologist and will need to earn a Masters degree in marine biology, but I would like to achieve a doctorate to study all marine life. Currently, I am going to high school from which I hope to graduate and then go to college. I plan on taking all of the biology and math classes I can to help me out along the way.

  Secondly, training will be needed on a wide range of activities and equipment. I am hoping to attain this training through volunteer work and summer jobs at a zoo or an aquarium cleaning the tanks and helping where I can. Other specific training I will probably need is in scuba and diving, where I am more in my element. This will teach me how to get out of thick mud while diving, life saving, and boat repair.

 Thirdly, perseverance will be a sorely needed resource on the long journey to this near impossible dream. It will be more precious than a diamond while working to get the education needed to achieve this dream. The road, I know will not be an easy one, but it is the path for me. Some will say it is hopeless or give it up, but that would be against the very root of perseverance. Perseverance is the strong will of the people that do not forsake what they believe in. As long as this is directed, I will be unstoppable.

 And now for the very important question, after I discover the new species, what then? Well, I plan to ensure that the species and its environment stay safe from people that might want to breed them for their fur or destroy their habitat. If they find a loophole in the legal protection, then I will personally lead the charge to protect the creatures that I have exposed to the public and the crowds too greedy to see that the welfare of the animal is in danger.

 My dream of discovering a new marine species and goal of becoming a marine biologist were born in my love of water. I may have been raised in the desert of southern Idaho, but I am happiest near or in the water. I guess I am like the creatures that I hope to discover. I believe this will help whether I am pursuing Red tailed catfish in the mud of the Amazon River, to studying salmon spawning on the gravel bottom of a glacial runoff fed lake in Alaska.

 But no matter how important education, training, or perseverance is, the encouragement and care my friends and family give will be the reason to carry on and fulfill this spectacular dream of mine to discover a new species of marine life.

Thomas Butler

Troop 92