Ava Miranda '25 Recruiting Profile

Cold wind bit at my ankles, exposed due to the nature of my haphazardly rolled up jeans. Tiny snails creeped over the barnacled rocks my shoes were standing on, and my face, smudged with dirt, had gone numb from the cold. Standing at the edge of my frigid Washington beach, I had come to the realization that none of my problems mattered when the sound of crashing ocean waves was loud enough to shroud my thoughts. This was where I wanted to be, and this was what I wanted to spend my life protecting.

Since the ripe age of six, I had always had an insatiable interest in nature. My fascination with bugs and flowers in the grass consumed me, and my astute examinations of dandelions brought about the loss of many of my peewee soccer games. However, there was one sport that piqued my interest enough to put a temporary hold on this fascination, and that was softball. Through this sport I learned the value of hard work, time management, and gained a lifelong, invaluable friendship that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I learned to compete for a position that meant the world to me, and how to earn things I wanted through effort and practice. While playing softball has taught me resilience and kept me in shape, it has also taught me that if I really, truly, cared about something, I could achieve it through hard work and integrity.

I initially approached my fascination with nature as something to be pushed aside for something more tangible-a career I comprehended as a “real” job, while my other interests took a backseat as a hobby. However, that view has changed. In my journey of growing-up, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting people who have pursued fulfilling careers in nature. From marine biologists to environmental engineers, I prodded and poked for answers, desperate to find which one was right for me. I’ve realized that while my interests and skills come closest to park ranger, I still have a lot to learn. As far as I’m concerned, that’s all the “real job” I need.