Kat Rice Senior Project

Kathryn Rice Senior Project Weekly Report 5/19/22                                         Senior Project: Marine Mammal Rescue Center  This past week was bittersweet in many ways. I was sad to be getting closer to the end of my senior project but happy to be one step closer to graduation. After spending two days at home after California, I realized that I would really miss working at the kiosk and getting to be near the beach. I have also realized that I work harder when working for an organization that is really making a difference than I sometimes do when I am working on something just for myself. After the excitement of the first week, I found myself really beginning to get used to the pattern of working everyday, eating and then going to bed. One thing that I would change if I coul...

 Today I got back to my house at around 1 pm. It was actually much warmer than it had been in California. I unpacked to wash my clothes when I got to my room. The time had really flown by and I cant believe I am almost graduating. Working with the center was super fun and gave me more experience with customer service. It was a good trip but I am glad to be home. 

 Today was our last day working the kiosk. It was rainy so it took longer than usual to get to work. Since it was so rainy and the mall is mostly outdoors, not many people were there. We had some fun trying our best to close as fast as possible when the rain blew into our kiosk. It was an exciting day due to the weather but not so much for sales. Since we finished our requirements we are getting on a plane tonight to continue researching at home. I ate a burrito as well. Daily hours: 7  Total: 77  

 Today the weather was a bit cloudy. I ate some avocado toast and a chai latte. We went to work. Work was fine, pretty average, not much activity. I enjoy working for the center however I wish that we could do more hands on helping the animals. It is also hard because the mall is not super busy during the weekdays. We drove back to the house listening to music. I then had a hair appointment which was super long. The day was long and although satisfying I am ready to go back to proctor soon and graduate.  Hours today: 7  Total: 70

 Today we worked at the Kiosk like usual. Mallie woke up a bit earlier than me today to drop her mom off at work. She brought me back a coffee which was very nice. We drove to work after Mallie's appointment. We sold a few things today and Mallie also decided to get a shirt. We had empanadas after work and then walked around town. The weather was a bit colder than I would have hoped.  Hours today: 7  Total: 63

 Today we woke up early and cleaned up our room a bit. Then we drove to work, stopping at Starbucks on the way to get coffee. It was a cloudy day and not many people were at the mall. We only sold one t shirt today. After work we went home and made dinner for Mallie's mom. We had vegan enchiladas. We went to bed tired after a not super exciting day.  Daily Hours: 7 Total: 56 

 Today we had a bit of a sleep in, as we had a later shift at the kiosk. I ate a delicious donut this morning, which was a small failure on my complete veganism. We listened to some music on the way to our job and had the windows rolled up, because it was a bit cloudy. At the Kiosk, nothing of intensity occurred but we saw some super cute kids who reminded me of my brothers walk by. After our shift, we ate empanadas. I had a vegan samosa. Then I bought a present for my mom. It was a good and fulfilling day.  daily: 7 Total: 49

Kathryn Rice Senior Project Weekly Report 5/15/22                       This week we were introduced to the center and its wonderful staff during our tour. We were able to see all the amazing work being done to help these poor sea lions and seals. The moment during the tour where I really felt deeply connected to our project was when I saw a measly baby sea lion named Ronan who was suffering from malnutrition. The poor baby was never taught how to eat fish by his mother and therefore didn't understand how to feed himself. The staff at the center were trying everything they could do to teach him how to eat and were determined not to give up. This ignited a passion in me to do my part to help these beautiful creatures. After having this amazing experience at the center we were then sent to work a bit further out at the center’s kiosk. We were instructed in how to run the store and...

 Today we worked at our kiosk at Huntington Beach for the day. We woke up a bit late today and didn't have time for coffee. We worked for a few hours and then took our lunch break. We got some vegan tacos. When we got back to work we talked to an older couple about the center and they made plans to visit. After work, we went to the beach for sunset. It was a pretty boring day overall but fulfilling nonetheless.  7hrs Total: 41 hours 

 Today Mallie and I had some time in the morning before work. We went on a walk and laid on the beach for a bit. Afterwards we drove to work. It was a slow day and we didn't sell too much. Christine, one of our bosses talked more about the sealions. On the way back from work Mallie had a panic attack driving on the freeway. She pulled over and had to get her bearings before continuing on the journey. She reminded me of sea lion in that moment because she made her way across unknown waters, just like a sealion. For dinner we ate cesar salad with Mallies mom and her friend. It was a lovely end to a action packed day. 

 Today we woke up early and got a lovely head start to our day by getting a smoothie. Afterwards, we made our way to Huntington Beach for another day at the Kiosk. We sold some merchandise and again voiced our support for the Marine Mammal Rescue Center.  It was much warmer today than it was yesterday. I felt as though we were really making a difference with the attention we were bringing to the center. For lunch Mallie and I took a journey to the grocery store to find some snacks. It was definitely hard to keep our vegan mindset as we were tempted. We found some good vegan options and then went back to work. In the evening we ate some soup and watched the sunset.  

 Today Mallie and I woke up early to go to work at our kiosk. We were able to interact with many customers and tell them about the rescue center. We additionally sold some stuffed sealions to a few kids. We were having a good work day when it was suddenly cut a bit short after we got word that there was a large wildfire nearby. We were let out early and when we got home we packed a go back in case of evacuation. Luckily the fires did not reach us and we were able to stay put. It was definitely an exciting day and it really introduced us to what life is like here on the West Coast. 

 Today Mallie and I received a tour of the Marine Mammal Rescue center. We saw Harbor seals, Elephant seals and sealions. They were all in various stages of recovery and it was sad to see many of the newest ones were malnourished. We got to see all the good work being done at the center to rehabilitate these creatures and then release them back into the wild. After the tour, Mallie and I traveled down to Huntington Beach to receive our training at their kiosk. We learned the ins and outs of how to work there and began preparations for selling merchandise and informing people about the center. We can't wait to share all that we have learned at the center during Express Fest!

 Today Mallie and I were to do some research on The Marine Mammal Rescue Center before starting. We researched about how the center works and found out they have two site locations, one in Laguna and one in Huntington beach. We also found that a large part of our job is promoting which will go well with both of our prior work experiences. Today Mallie and I also decided to go vegan. We decided that the health benefits as well as the positive impacts on the environment were worth being conscious of our food. On Tuesday we will be getting a tour of both facilities and begin our training. Mallie and I are very excited t begin working and hopefully make a difference!