6 minute read
Nurturing Passion into Purpose
Calvin Keeys' journey from Wild Kratts to wildlife conservation
By Erica Levi Zelinger
From a 52-meter observation tower at the Tiputini
Biodiversity Station in remote Ecuador, Calvin Keeys and a few of his 12 classmates watched the sun rise over the Amazon basin. With the naked eye, he only saw endless trees. But Calvin, environmental science ’25, observed much more:
“I was able to appreciate the Earth’s most biodiverse area and the importance of protecting environments in danger to ensure their wildlife is protected,” he says.
With assistance from a Gilman International Scholarship, which offers financial assistance to students to study abroad, Calvin was able to go on a Drexel intensive course abroad last fall to Ecuador to study the ecology of tropical rain forests at different elevations.
When Calvin was younger, he loved reading animal books and going on outings to places such as the Philadelphia Zoo and Franklin Institute with his father, a science teacher.
Captivated by the use of live-action and animation to teach children about animals, Calvin was also mesmerized by PBS Kids’ show Wild Kratts. He can still proudly recall several animal facts he absorbed while watching the show with his sister at his grandmother’s apartment in Delaware County:
Calvin Keeys, environmental science '25, gains international perspective as a Gilman Scholar studying abroad in Ecuador.
The peregrine falcon is the fastest animal. The sex of crocodile offspring is determined by the temperature of egg incubation.
The platypus lays eggs.
Calvin parlayed his passion for the show and his love of animals into career intentions: His goal is to become a wildlife biologist with a focus on conservation and the protection of endangered species. He is now one of four Drexel students selected as nominees for the 2024 Udall Scholarship, which supports students in careers related to the environment, tribal public policy or Native American healthcare. With support from Pennoni Honors College, the Delaware County resident has already earned himself the Gilman and several other accolades and experiences for his efforts.
In the summer after his first year at Drexel, Calvin participated in the STAR Scholars Program, doing research with Dr. Jason Weckstein at the Academy of Natural Sciences Department of Ornithology on whether the bird species white-winged becard (Pachyramphus polychopterus) follows
Gloger’s Rule, an ecogeographical rule that dictates the more heavily pigmented forms of a species are found in more humid environments.
The STAR Scholars Program, Calvin says, catapulted him to continue his research. He was invited to apply to a student poster competition at the 2023 American Association for Advancement of Science annual meeting, and though he wasn’t selected as a finalist, the organization provided him a ticket to attend to the event.
A STAR info session with Undergraduate Research & Enrichment Programs (UREP) also encouraged him to apply for Pennoni’s Aspire Scholars Program.
“I applied wanting to develop my goals and realize my full potential,” Calvin says. “Being a person of color, I began to realize the lack of diversity and opportunities for underrepresented communities in my career field.”
Growing up with an African-American father and a Sierra Leonean mother, Calvin wants to help provide resources to these communities and recognize each other’s differences to create a healthier world. He applied to Aspire Scholars to gain mentorship and interact with other like-minded people and help his fellow students reach their goals.
During his time in Aspire, he was asked to reflect on his commitment to his field of interest. Up until that point, he admits, he had a basic idea of his field, but he was unsure of his exact goals. He was anxious and lacked confidence.
“I was new to this whole adulting thing,” he jokes.
Among his favorite assignments were creating a personal strategic plan, developing a Padlet calendar, and creating a final project using his skillset to help him clarify his goals. Employing his graphic design minor and his interest in video games, he wanted to make a parallel between his hobbies and pursuing his career goals.
“One of the things I enjoy about gaming is not just how diverse and expansive the industry and community is, but also how you can use resources in a game to accomplish what you need to do.”
So, Calvin created a video game-themed inventory of resources in Adobe Illustrator, including a daily planner; Notion, an organizational app for tracking tasks; Fastweb, an online resource for finding scholarships; the Pomodoro studying technique; OneNote digital note-taking software; Google Tasks; technological resources like headphones; lyric-less music which helps him stay focused.
Calvin then used his own organized library of resources to refine his Gilman application.
“I created checklists of all the materials I needed to get and the prerequisites I needed. I split up larger tasks into smaller tasks and made it more approachable.”
Additional advice for other fellowship applicants? Don’t procrastinate. Talk to the folks at UREP who are skilled and knowledgeable about the awards process. Talk to students who’ve received the fellowships already. They have been in your position.
And recognize that this process is anxiety-inducing. “It’s going to feel overwhelming … but still go for it. Even if you don’t get it, you can at least say you tried. But if you don’t apply at all, you are guaranteeing yourself a chance not to get it.”
Calvin’s dream job would be to help with the research and recovery of endangered species in biodiversity hotspots like Ecuador. He hopes to use his graphic design skills for freelance work and to promote scientific organizations, events and initiatives. He also wants to inform the public about environmental science using informational graphics for science education.
After he graduates, Calvin plans to do some conservation internships with organizations, such as American Conservation Experience, Alliance for Watershed Education and Student Conservation Center. He plans to use these opportunities to learn more about different environments throughout the United States and work as part of a team.
Somewhere in his Aspire Program toolkit, he’s already outlined additional career goals: I plan to apply to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Smithsonian Student Tropical Research Institute, to learn more about biodiversity hotspots abroad, specifically in African and Latin American countries. Ultimately, I hope to do conservation research for the government, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or a non-profit such as the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy.
