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Two and a half years ago, I stepped
off of the plane after a fourteen-hour flight into the unfamiliar country of
India. The air was thick and full of smog, vehicles were flying in all
directions, and hundreds of people of various nationalities surrounded our
group. At this point, I was not exactly sure what I had gotten myself into, but
decided it was time to take a chance.
Since my freshman year at Clemson,
I had been medical school bound, taking all of the prerequisites and completing
an internship with the Greenville County Medical Examiner. I had taken the MCAT and completed my medical
school applications. However, my life changed when I signed up for a class
called Conservation and Biodiversity of India. What set this course apart from
the other biological science courses offered was the trip to India over our
spring break. Not only would I be introduced to a new culture, I would have the
chance to observe Bengal tigers in the wild, most likely a once in a lifetime
opportunity. The fact that I could potentially see first hand one of the
remaining 3,200 tigers was overwhelming.
After the time spent in the jungles
and the brief tiger sightings, I realized how important our efforts as an
organization, and even my individual efforts, were in the conservation of these
animals. My experiences in India completely altered my view of the world and
how I could go about changing it.
Instead of medical school, I decided to pursue a career in law at the
University of South Carolina School of Law, especially focusing on
environmental law and policy. Being in
India established a strong desire to strive to promote and spread the
importance of conservation, especially focusing on the Bengal tigers. I believe that working with the conservation
laws and policies will help get us one step closer to preserving our tigers.
Haley Kernell
Clemson ‘12
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