My name is Juan Ceja and I am a 5th year Biology Major, with a double minor in Spanish and Conservation Biology. I actually only returned for my 5th year of undergraduate studies at UCLA so that I could participate in this Field Biology Quarter (FBQ). I am extremely interested in Behavior and Conservation, and it is for that reason that I am more and more excited every day be a part of such a life changing experience.
Participating in this Winter 2015 FBQ is something that I have been looking forward to since I found out I had been chosen to participate. During my Spring Quarter last year, I received the news that I was one of the lucky 15 students that would be traveling to Refugio Bartola, Nicaragua to study in a tropical rainforest. This was the best possible news at that time.
During this course, I hope to obtain valuable life experiences that will help me decide on the career that I will pursue after this final quarter of undergraduate study. I currently fantasize of being a field biologist, but I have not had any true field experience and do not know if all of my thoughts are just that, fantasy. This course will provide the perfect opportunity to learn what field research is all about and it will provide great insight to the ways field research is performed. One of my goals is to learn as much as possible from the two distinguished professors and the two talented teaching assistants that will be mentoring us through this entire experience.
My specific goal during the FBQ, aside from gaining as much experience as possible, is to carry out two successful research projects. One project will focus on behavior biology and the other on conservation biology. Being able to develop an experiment and properly execute it will definitely boost my self confidence in my abilities to pursue a career as a field biologist. I want to do all of this while creating experiences and establishing friendships that I will be able to carry with me for the rest of my life. Of course I also want to enjoy the trip and hopefully get to see a Capuchin!