Krysten (Belanger) Ritchie, '11

Why UNE

I loved the courses provided to us in my major, especially during my junior and senior year. My favorite courses were Oceanography, Marine Biology, Biology of Marine Mammals, Comparative Animal Physiology, and Galapagos Fauna.

Many colleges do not offer courses where the lab portion is a trip away to actually see textbook lectures in the actual setting. You can only learn so much about the Galapagos fauna from presentations and readings without actually seeing the fauna in its natural setting. Not too many people get to say they got the opportunity to go to the Galapagos, and I got to say that at the end of the semester.

Beyond the Classroom

I also got the opportunity to be club and organization representative of a new club at UNE, the Animal Behavior Club, which was a great experience. The club was able to go to the International Marine Animal Trainer’s Association Conference, which is a major door-opener to students looking for marine animal training jobs and internships. I created many connections at the conference."