[hider=Sam Paige][center]
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[color=7bcdc8][b]Name:[/b][/color] Sam Paige

[b][color=7bcdc8]Age:[/color][/b] 27

[b][color=7bcdc8]Occupation:[/color][/b] Marine Mammal Specialist, although he is trained in caring for other marine organisms (including corals and algae) as part of his degree, so can help if things get overwhelming in other areas. 

[color=7bcdc8][b]Brief Bio[/b] (sorry, I'm really bad at brief when it comes to bios - trust me, this is as slimmed down as I can force myself to go):[/color] Raised on the North Welsh coast in Prestatyn, Sam grew up a five minute walk from the ocean, something which, along with his parents, fostered a love of the sea and the life within it from as early as he can remember. As much as he loved the ocean however, Sam never really had ambitions beyond working in tourism like most adults he knew, or perhaps in an aquarium. It was only in high school, when his biology teacher encouraged him to volunteer with a local conservation group, that his interest in science and conservation was sparked.

 From then on, Sam worked tirelessly, volunteering and getting as much work experience as he could, until he mad it to Southampton University - one of the best universities for Marine Biology in the UK. He was glad to be there, and his family was ridiculously proud seeing as he was the first one to go to uni, but something felt... off. For the entirety of his undergrad, Sam ignored it, desperate for everything to be okay even though it really wasn't. He buried himself in his studies, and graduated with a first in marine biology, before enrolling straight onto a PhD programme, this time in Liverpool, studying the effects of plastic pollution on Dolphins in Liverpool Bay. Even though he was closer to home - just a two hour drive - the 'something off' didn't go away, in fact, it got worse.

 Sam managed to get three years into his PhD, before the dam finally broke, and with it, so did Sam. After a full two weeks where he was unable to leave his room, just lying in bed and scaring his housemates silly, his supervisor stepped in and essentially suspended him until he got his head together. He went home for six months, where he was diagnosed with Major Depression, something which had probably developed during his undergraduate studies, and worsened recently due to the increased workload and isolation. 

 He got back to it though, and managed to complete his PhD a little over a year following his return to uni, not that it wasn't a struggle. Afterwards though, he felt lost, unsure on whether or not he wanted to go into academia as a career, or if he wanted to do something else entirely. His answer came two years ago in the form of a job ad - a small island sanctuary looking for a marine mammal specialist. He applied, interviewed, got the job, and has been working there ever since.


[b][color=7bcdc8]Anything Else:[/color][/b] Sam still struggles with his depression on occassion - although he definitely has it under control now (he wouldn't be able to do his job if he didn't), and feels better than he did even [i]before[/i] he started his under grad, he still has bad days though, sometimes even bad weeks or months, although they're getting fewer and farther between.

He has a budding interest in seabirds, in part due to the few Summers he spent helping out with the Terns nesting in the lagoon in Anglesey.

Also he [i]definitely doesn't[/i] just see his job as an excuse to play with dolphins/seals/other marine mammals all day... at least that's what he tells his mother =P [/hider]