Maddy

My name is Maddy, I am twelve years old, and my goal in life is to become a herpetologist. When I was in fifth grade last year, my art teacher shared a video of juvenile ball pythons pipping, and this was the start of my snake craze. I did my research, and once I found out that I could have A WHOLE JOB with reptiles, my mind was set.

The reason that I want to be a herpetologist is to inspire other young kids to follow their dreams, and I want to teach people that reptiles (and amphibians) are not cold-blooded monsters. They are like humans in many ways, and it's good to teach this young, because when a child is told to stay away from a snake because it will bite them, or a toad because it will give them warts, they translate that as “Snakes and toads are bad!” when they’re not.

I want to say how lucky I am to have this opportunity. I’m excited to use this scholarship to attend the Junior Master Herpetologist Program (offered by The Amphibian Foundation). It’s been my dream to be a herpetologist, and this is one step closer for me.