Natural Resources: Veterinary Technician
Natural Resources
Veterinary Technician: Darin Padula
Darin Padula was looking for something that might combine the sciences and outdoor life. He loved to explore and learn new things. He moved with his college girlfriend, Erin, to Hawaii from Michigan in 2002. Internships initially brought them both to Kewalo Basin Marine Mammal Laboratory. Now, they're well on their way as professionals.
On-The-Job Adrenaline
"On the first day of my new job, I came to work dressed nicely to meet my new coworkers. WHOOPS! Turns out that a monk seal had just died on Kauai. We needed to be on a plane in just 40 minutes. In a flash, we loaded our truck, and I quickly changed into old field clothes found in storage. Very few things smell worse than a monk seal that has sat roasting in the sun, and my new boss didn't want my nice clothes ruined. Next thing we know, we're on a Kauai beach, loading up the monk seal in the hopes that we can find out how it died. It was probably the most exciting first day of work I've ever had. Just thinking about it makes me smile."
That's on-the-job adrenaline for Darin Padula, age 25.
Saving The Very Endangered
While Darin has had his share of ups and downs and dry spells between jobs, he's had quite an adventure getting to where he's at now. His current official job title is Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) & Joint Institute for Marine & Atmospheric Research (JIMAR) Veterinary Technician. The organization is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Padula basically works with a veterinarian to help Hawaiian monk seals. Because they're so very endangered, they do their best to help sick or injured monk seals and conduct necropsies (an animal autopsy) to figure out why they might've died. There are only 1300 or so Hawaiian monk seals left on Earth.
Geek's Turning Point
Darin says, "I was a bit of a geek growing up, always having loved science.…I played sports in every grade growing up, but also spent a lot of time playing video games and learning about electronics."
What triggered the turning point in his life? "As a high school junior, I had started to feel burned out, and began to think maybe science wasn't what I wanted to do. It took a special genetics teacher, Greg Brown, to inspire me. Mr. Brown encouraged me to apply for the National Youth Science Camp…. I went to spend a month at what I assumed was going to be 'dork camp.' I found out though, that each person was chosen not simply because they were smart or studious, but because they were interested in a wide variety of things. At camp, all our hard bookwork was paid back with lectures from top scientists, visits to national monuments, and exciting outdoor activities like white-water rafting and rock climbing. Boy, who knew science could be so much fun?!"
How To Get Going
Pumped up from that camp, Darin went off to college. He immediately started looking for someone to do research with, especially in genetics. He found researchers whose work interested him. He read up on their published papers and stopped by their office. He found that people became "excited that he was excited about their research." Whenever they could, they would hire him as their lab research assistant.
For Teens In Hawaii
Darin strongly recommends volunteering to become competitive in his field. The opportunities for teens in Hawaii to work as volunteers are vast. Says Darin, "I didn't even know about them when I got here! It turns out NOAA is HUGE — there are so many opportunities for people here, to work with everything from sea turtles and monk seals, to studying corals, fish, lobsters…. Anybody with that kind of experience and the drive — it's just an application away!"
Darin's Advice
"I'm from Michigan — we don't have any oceans. All it took to get started was the willingness to volunteer for a while. Since I moved here, I've been working with chimpanzees and elephants at the zoo, studying dolphins and humpback whales, learning how to help heal sick animals at a vet clinic, and how to work with horses and handicapped children at Waimanalo polo grounds. Almost all those things were volunteer work, but they helped me get exciting jobs all over the islands….Keep busy….Start volunteering — you'll get great experience."