My name is Sarah Hatfield and I attend Wells College in New York State. I grew up in a small town near Erie, Pennsylvania called North East. I am an environmental science major, which means I work with plants and animals, and find out why they live where they do, what they eat and how they behave in certain situations.

When I was younger, I loved to play outside. Watching ants or birds, digging for worms and planting in the garden were some things I enjoyed, and still enjoy doing. All my life I have wanted to come to Australia. I started out studying oceanography and I really wanted to come and see the Great Barrier Reef. As I became more focused toward a career, the rainforest became my prime interest.

Here in the tropics I am surrounded by the world I have always dreamed about. King parrots and palms and exotic plants are every where. I can apply the knowledge gained from two years of college here while having the opportunity to see the beauty of it all. Henry David Thoreau said "in nature is the preservation of the world", and here it is more believable than anything.