Fish biologist Nick Utrup with local high school student Jimmie Garth. - FWS photo

Fish Biologist Nick Utrup recently had the privilege of showing a local high school student what it’s like to be a fish biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 

Jimmie Garth, a ninth grader from Columbia, Missouri, volunteered to job shadow him for a day. Utrup was impressed that Garth did this voluntarily and not as part of a class. Garth expressed an interest in marine and freshwater biology and took the intiative to familiarize himself with the profession.  To his credit, he understood the importance of investigating his interest at an early age so he can better determine if it is the correct career path for him.

Garth started the day at 8:00 a.m. sharp with his lunch in hand and an eager attitude.  He spent several hours in the morning learning about the job and meeting other people in the office. After learning about the history and projects at the Columbia FRO, Garth sat in on a presentation given by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources about recent activities at a state park in southeast Missouri. 

At lunch, Garth enjoyed listening to discussions amongst several biologists. He shared his interests and future plans with the group.  After lunch, Garth went to the boat barn to learn about some of our sampling equipment. He also learned how to properly clean and repair some of the nets.  Afterwards Garth and Utrup sat back down to review the day.  He asked plenty of great questions and discussed the many things he learned.  In all, Garth said he had a great time and expressed interest in volunteering for our office in the future.