John Locke (The Philosopher from LOST)

Hello everyone!

My name is John Locke, and at present, I am neither a famous philosopher nor involved in any television shows. Instead, I am a Freshman at the University of Maryland, where I am currently studying biological sciences, with a focus on neurobiology. I am from Baltimore, MD and greatly enjoy biking along the many trails in Maryland's parks as well as sailing in its waters! My parents are musicians (my father plays percussion, and my mother plays piano), and so naturally I enjoy listening to music and attending concerts whenever possible. When not studying or spending time with family and friends, I enjoy practicing the piano, going swimming, and playing baseball!

I was very excited to apply for the Terps Helping Turtles trip, because I had heard fantastic stories from other ILS students who had gone on the trip before, and I thought it to be a very noble cause. In addition, I greatly enjoy visiting North Carolina, and I actually have relatives who live near to where we will be staying in Topsail. Naturally, I am eagerly anticipating our departure! I look forward to sharing the experience with my fellow classmates, cooking dinner (my dad is an avid chef, and I have contracted the bug), teaching elementary school children about marine life and environmental conservation, seeing the sunrises and sunsets on the beach, and of course, helping to care for the sea turtles at the hospital. See you all on the flip side.
- John Locke

Tiffany here!

Hi everyone! I'm Tiffany Hu, junior Neurobiology major.


A few tidbits:
-I love teaching kids - I am a veteran TA for the Integrated Life Sciences program because I've followed my "freshies" for 3 semesters.
-I volunteer at Health Leads in Children's National Medical Center to connect low-income families to community resources.
-I am co-president of the American Medical Student Association.
-I sing in UMD Women's Choir (with Janine!)
-We performed in Boston this year and it was super fun because I found udon and sushi and clam chowder under the same roof at Faneuil Hall Marketplace! That is now my favorite place. (But hopefully I'll have a new favorite place after I visit Topsail.)



Fun facts:
-I am ambidextrous.
-My two younger siblings are my pride and joy.
-I run on sugar and caffeine most days.
-I like noodles. Especially udon.
-Sushi is great too. As is clam chowder.
-I love turtles and pandas and neurons.
-I like honey almost as much as Winnie the Pooh.
-I drink honey before chorus concerts.

I'm super excited for this trip!

A bit about me, Dann-y!! :) Lol @ Emma

Hey guys! My name is Danny, and I'm a sophomore Physiology and Neurobiology major. I am passionate about guitar, sushi, avocados, videogames, protecting the environment, and the treasured moments I can get away from this 23 credit semester and spend time with friends. On campus, I volunteer as the Vice President of Circle K International and once in a while I'll go to the occasional American Medical Student Association meeting every now and again sometimes. Off campus, I volunteer at a local hospital and at a fire station. In fact, I just began the internship portion of the EMT class I'm enrolled in, so I'll finally get to ride the ambulance! I have a cat and a dog, and I've always loved animals and the nature around me, so I'm super excited to go on this Alternative Break with you all! I can't wait to get away from school for a week and just hang out, have fun and learn something new about a topic I love.

The Little Baby Freshman-- Katie!!

Hi! My name is Katie Aceto. I'm a freshman Animal Sciences/ Pre-Veterinary Medicine major at the University of Maryland. I'm from Rockville, MD, and am an only child, but I have my dog, Sampson, to keep me company <3. Fun fact: both of my parents went to UMD, so we have a whole family of Terps! In my free time, I like to play softball, photograph, participate in community service, knit (sort of-- I'm still trying to learn), Netflix (Grey's Anatomy and The Office), listen to country music, and spend time with friends! I have a lot of favorite animals, of course, but some of my all-time favorites are dogs, tigers, red pandas, dolphins, killer whales, and sea turtles! After graduating from UMD, I plan to go to veterinary school. I'm not quite sure of what I want to specialize in, but surgery really interests me at the moment, so I am thinking about becoming a board-certified surgeon in a small animal emergency hospital. I am extremely excited for this spring break trip-- it was one of the many reasons I was so excited about ILS as a prospective student last year! I can't wait to work with these amazing turtles, learn more about the environment, and get to know my group members better!

All about me, Emma D!! :)

Hey! My name is Emma, and I am a sophomore Neurobiology major at the University of Maryland. I love to play soccer, bake, spend time outside, and hang out with my friends! I was born in Australia (I'm half Australian, half Malaysian), but I currently live in Bethesda, Maryland. I've always loved animals (especially puppies), but my first amazing experience with sea turtles was when I went to Akumal, Mexico the summer before I came to college. Interestingly enough, "Akumal" is the Mayan word for turtle, and is used to name that region because of all the sea turtles that can be seen in the water there! Below I attached a photograph of a turtle that I took while swimming in the water just outside the house we stayed in! I got to take a ton of amazing pictures there (that is until I broke my camera because I didn't properly seal its waterproof case....oops...). Anyways, I'm super excited to go on my first AB trip and to spend time learning about and taking care of the sea turtles!!

Wassup homies with Janine Taira

• Neurobiology & Physiology major
• Future plans: fortunately, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry wants me this August.
• Crowning achievement: I can wiggle my pinkie toes without moving my other toes. Just kidding.
• Fun fact: I forget the eggs in 3-ingredient cake mixes, but somehow my French macarons end up alright. 
• I like sports: tennis, skiing, ice skating, gymnastics, swimming...I've tried many.
• I have 3 siblings that all look pretty similar to me. 
• I'm Chinese-Japanese, 4th generation on both sides--very not fresh of the boat. 
• Small animals have a special place in my heart. I adopted a 5 year old Guinea pig off of the free and for sale page. 
• I can crochet small octopi!
• If you sing Disney songs in my presence, I will absolutely join you.

Fun Facts ft. Ashley!! :)

Hey everybody! :D Please enjoy these factoids:

Boring facts:

1. My name is Ashley Yuen.
2. I am a junior majoring in General Biology and minoring in Human Development.
3. I'm from Rockville, MD.
4. I'm pre-med.
5. I have one older brother. 
6. My cat is named Meow Meow.
7. I try to like jogging (I think it worked?).

Fun facts:

1. I have 17 cousins, and one of them is somewhat famous --> www.lacarmina.com
2. Because of aforementioned cousin, I've housed TV Show Host Ronan Farrow in my basement before. AKA son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen (or Frank Sinatra? Just kidding, that was a rumor.) We played guitar hero together too. That was cool.
3. I won a Chipotle Sweepstakes for catering for 40, but decided to be nice and share it with ILS and other randos on our floor. If you were there, then you're welcome.
4. Sushi is my life. Cats are too. 
5. I always stop to admire the squirrels on the UMD campus.
6. I once took a selfie with a monkey. Ask to see it later, if you want. 
7. My guilty pleasure is the ABC reality show: "The Bachelor." I know, I know - I hate myself for it too. 
8. I don't know if turtles scare me yet, but I can't wait to find out on this ASB trip!! :)