Corals, fish, whales, oceanography…so many marine biology topics and so little time! What’s a budding marine biologist to do? Study them all, of course! AND reach out to local marine biologists to learn more about potential career paths. That is exactly what high school student Carol Gonzalez is doing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Carol is a junior at Frisco High School and is participating in Frisco ISD’s Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) Program which prepares gifted and talented juniors and seniors from all six Frisco ISD high schools for success in college and career. During this challenging program, students focus on their topic or career of interest. They research their topic/career and develop time management, communication, and presentation skills. Students also gain “real world” experience by working with their mentors to learn more about their chosen profession and how to prepare for their career paths as they enter college.

One of the requirements of the program is for students to conduct informational interviews with professionals working in their field of interest. Because Carol is interested in marine biology, she searched for marine biologists and other environmental professionals in the DFW area. With a little help from LinkedIn, Carol’s teacher, Ms. Karene Goff-Owen, connected Carol with Azura CEO and Senior Scientist Amy Whitt. During Week 5 of the program, Carol interviewed Amy who introduced Carol to the world of environmental consulting. Amy described the different career options in this industry and gave Carol advice on college courses and internships that would be helpful if she chose to pursue a career in environmental consulting. You can read Carol’s account of this interview here and follow her journey to find her perfect career here.