Undergraduate / UC transfer essay "Lions rescue in Africa" [2]

Hi, can somebody please give feedback on my essay? I appreciate it! Kelly

What is your intended major? Discuss how your interest in the subject developed and describe any experience you have had in the field - such as volunteer work, internships and employment, participation in student organizations and activities - and what you have gained from your involvement.

It's funny to see the expressions on people's faces when I tell them what I plan to do with my biology degree; apparently, moving to Africa to save lions sounds crazy to some people. As for me, I find the fact that I'm finally attending college crazy.

When I dropped out of high school, I was certain I would never go to college. I saw it as a waste of time and money, as I hated school and felt confident I could do well without it. I had only two interests at that time, to travel and to work with lions, although I viewed the latter as a pipedream. I brushed that dream aside and fulfilled my other goal; I became a flight attendant and traveled the world.

I loved being a flight attendant, but after September 11, 2001, the airline industry became a very tumultuous industry to work in. I was furloughed and recalled from my job three times in the following three years. Eventually, the instability proved too much for me and I resigned. I spent the next few years working as a restaurant manager, but it was just a means to an end; I was never completely happy. Meanwhile, I was still haunted by the desire to work with lions. I decided it was time to explore my strange obsession, to see if it was really something I wanted to do with my life, or just a silly notion. I figured the best way to experience lions was to go to the source; I saved up money for six months, threw all my belongings into storage, and flew to South Africa.

Before leaving, I had found a place that accepted volunteers to work at a game park helping to raise lion cubs, supposedly in the name of conservation. For the next six weeks, I helped care for twelve cubs, ranging in age from newborn to six months old. I felt such great joy being with these babies, but soon I was filled with distress. I had come to the park very naďve, and I soon realized that these animals were being exploited; the owners of the park were breeding cubs continuously to provide paid photo opportunities to tourists. I couldn't justify staying there.

After leaving the park, I continued backpacking through Southern Africa for three months. I met many zoologists and conservationists along the way who gave me great insight into the plight of lions in Africa, and I visited real game parks, such as Kruger National Park, where I observed lions behaving naturally. I camped in the bush and slept to the sound of roaring lions. Unexpectedly, I fell in love with Africa itself; I didn't want to go home.

I stayed as long as I could afford to, but finally I had to return to America. My heart ached for Africa, but I knew I had found my calling. Shortly after I returned, I applied for and received an internship at a big cat sanctuary in Mississippi. While there, I cared for over twenty big cats, including lions and tigers that had been rescued from abusive situations. I adored caring for the cats, but I also felt that I was not needed there; those cats were well taken care of. I wanted to help the cats in the wild, in Africa. I realized then that a college degree would be the best way for me to help the lions in Africa.

As much as I would love to gain field experience while in school, it has thus far not been a possibility, so I have tried to make up for that lack of experience by reading as much as I can on the topic. I hope to do a summer abroad in Africa during my junior or senior year, hopefully doing field research.

Sometimes I lament the fact that it took over ten years for me to get to this point; I think of all the field experience I could have had by now, and maybe how much I could have helped conservation efforts. I know, though, that I wasn't ready after high school; I still had some growing up to do. Now I'm ready.