Several hundred miles from the ocean, junior Brynn Braswell hears the apex predator of the sea calling her name. Sharks are at the top of the food chain and there are over 400 species according to the WWF, the number rising with each year as more of the ocean is explored.

The fascination with sharks began for Braswell in seventh grade.

“I saw this whole shark week thing that happens every year and with that my fascination just grew and my whole room was covered in sharks,” said Braswell, whose favorite shark, the Tiger, is known for being extremely aggressive. Having a job that works with sharks would be a dream come true for Braswell.

“I want to do the psychology of sharks, like why they swim certain ways, why they migrate to different places because of weather, or I want to help them if they get hurt and work with rescue teams,” said Braswell.

These jobs aren’t as dangerous as her even bigger dream- to have a close encounter with a shark and be bitten by it.

“I don’t want it to take my arm off but I want a little scar. It would just be a cool story to have,” said Braswell. People’s reactions to this dream aren’t always the warmest.  

“They look shocked, like ‘are you crazy?’ and I’m like yeah that’s what I want,” said Braswell.

She has already begun looking ahead to make these dreams happen.

“I’ve done my research on some people and there is a lady named Ocean Ramsey and she works out of Hawaii and she has a whole facility.  You can do tours, like you can go out and go in cages with the sharks,” said Braswell.

Ocean Ramsey is a conservationist whose goal is to portray sharks as they really are: amazing, beautiful, and important animals that need to be protected. Much like Ocean Ramsey, Discovery Channel dedicates a week each year to raising awareness about sharks and depicting an accurate picture of sharks. It is the pinnacle of shark fans and is one of Braswell’s biggest dreams.

“I want to be that scientist that talks about how sharks impact lives and how good they are for the ocean and environment,” said Braswell.  Sharks have impeccable noses and are able to smell a drop of blood .25 miles away, and just like sharks, Braswell has a good sense of what she wants to do. Living a future life dedicated to sharks is definitely it.