Defying the odds has become a habit for super senior Jess Perreault.
This cutie is a Rhode Island native. In her sophomore year, Perreault switched from her business major to pursue marine biology, despite little encouragement from her advisors and peers. She encountered a larger workload from challenging classes, but she survived knowing this was her passion.
In the marine biology program, Perreault seized every opportunity to excel, from internships to national exchange programs. During the first semester of her senior year, she studied in Hawaii, working at an internship at the Institute of Marine Biology, where she took care of her favorite animal; sharks.
From there, the traveling hasn’t stopped. She’s also gone diving in the Caribbean to study the decrease in coral reef and presented on her findings. On the other side of the spectrum, she’s traveled around Antarctica on a ship for thirty days studying krill. Once she got her feet back on dry land, she was off on to hike in Chile.
While these feats alone are impressive, I haven’t even mentioned that Perreault was the only undergraduate in many of her internships. She currently works at the Center for Biotechnical and Life Sciences on campus, dissecting sharks to determine their bite force. It’s clear to see why this campus cutie has excelled! We asked her for a moment from her busy schedule to answer a few questions…
Name: Jess Perreault
Age: 22
Year: “Super” senior
Major: Marine Biology with a minor in Business
Relationship Status: In a relationship
Favorite Food: Mashed potatoes
What do you consider to be quirky about you?
“I’m absolutely terrified of spiders but I wouldn’t think twice about jumping the water with a shark.”
Describe yourself in five words:
“Independent, witty (at least I think I am, most people would say sarcastic), adventurous, curious, and environmentalist.”
Where would you most like to travel to that you haven’t been yet?
“I’m so anxious to cross another continent off of my list… I’d love to go to Australia and dive the Great Barrier Reef before it’s all gone.”
What is your favorite quote?
“I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came.” – John F. Kennedy.
What is your favorite spot on campus?
“Hands down, the quad in the fall or spring… I can’t wait for all of this snow to melt so everyone can get out there again.”