My name is Valerie Hansard and I attend Davidson College in North Carolina. I'm a pre-veterinary Biology major and graduate this May. At Davidson, I'm involved in a number of activities. Last year I was coordinator of a local high school tutoring program, chair of an equal rights group called F.L.A.G., and secretary of Davidson's chapter of Amnesty International. My hometown is Ormond Beach, Florida which is 5 minutes north of Daytona Beach. At home, I volunteered as a teacher's aide in a learning disabled elementary school class, volunteered at the Florida Library for the Blind, and worked in a veterinarian's office. I chose the SFS Center for Rainforest Studies because the work completed and knowledge gained will help preserve and restore rainforests throughout the world. Also, as a pre-veterinary student, the opportunity to study and learn how to conserve an endangered animal, such as the Cassowary, is invaluable.