Nicki Lapierre: A Career Essay

Many of us, when we’re young, have big dreams about what we’d like to be when we grow up. Some of us want to be professional athletes or singers, others astronauts or firefighters, and still others have a passion to somehow work with animals when we get older.

Nicki LaPierre was one of those kids who knew at a very young age she wanted to work with dolphins. At seven years old her parents gave her a dolphin necklace, she instantly fell in love and set her mind on having a career with dolphins. had such a love for these graceful animals that nothing was going to stand in her way of making that dream come true. Not only did Nicki realize her dream, but she did it in record time, becoming one of the youngest dolphin handlers in the entire state of Florida.

Each and every day when Nicki gets up for work she does so with a big smile on her face because she gets to hang out with the magical creatures she’s been in

Heck, even economists and sociologists who deal with marine resource issues work within what is considered the field of marine biology.

Getting a Marine Biology Degree

There are many universities and colleges that offer degrees in marine biology, many of them located on the Pacific Coast. A good resource to find academic programs is www.oceancareers.com.

Some good schools on the west coast to consider are the University of California programs at San Diego (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), Davis, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife or Department of Oceanography at Oregon State University in Corvallis; and Humboldt State University in California. On the east coast there are quality programs at schools like the University of Miami, University of Rhode Island, and the University of Massachusetts.

Courses to