In September, my mom got an e-mail from Goucher College inviting her to attend a special reception before the lecture that Jane Goodall was going to give on October 13.  Neither one of us had been aware of the lecture, let alone the reception.  I was so excited to not only have the opportunity to go to Dr. Goodall’s lecture but to go to a reception that she would attend!  She has been my hero for many years.  Dr. Goodall has done the kind of work I want to do, and she has overcome so many obstacles and made such a positive impact on the world.  She has done so much to help animals and the environment, and she has taught countless people through her work.  I was speechless when I saw this e-mail, and then I think I started babbling and jumping up and down…I don’t remember clearly.  I was too excited to be fully aware of what I was doing, I think.  My mom quickly reserved the spots for her and one guest (me!) to attend the reception, and she purchased our lecture tickets.  We were guaranteed to attend, but the hard part was still to come.

I desperately wanted to be able to talk with her about what I have been doing with the chimpanzees at the Zoo, how she has influenced me, and my goals for the future.  I want to study animal behavior but also have a large involvement in conservation.  She began studying animal behavior in 1960, when she went, with no training, to Gombe in Tanzania to study the chimpanzees there.  She transitioned to conservation work in the 1980s and has been on the road for most of each year ever since.  I didn’t know the best way to get to communicate with her and get some feedback, though.  I talked to my parents, my siblings, and Mr. Ashcraft, and we decided that I should write her a letter to give to her at the reception after briefly introducing myself.

When I wasn’t reviewing her work and accomplishments, I tried to work on my letter, which is at the end of this journal.  I had trouble starting, but I eventually began to get my ideas on paper.  Once I got going, it was hard to stop!  I finally got the letter down to one page.  Writing the letter to Dr. Goodall really helped me solidify my goals for the future.  I think that nine people proofread my letter for me.  I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people read something I’ve written!  Everyone said I did well, so I was fairly confident with my letter.

On the night of the lecture, my mom and I got to the reception and learned that Dr. Goodall actually was not going to attend the reception that because she wanted some time to relax and think before her lecture.  I thought I was going to get to meet her at the reception, so that was a disappointment.  I knew that I would have an opportunity to speak with her briefly at the book signing following the lecture, though, so I tried to keep that in mind.

At the beginning of her lecture, Dr. Goodall greeted us like a chimpanzee—with a pant-hoot.  I actually had been wondering whether she would do that, and I was not disappointed.  The lecture was titled “Gombe and Beyond:  The Next 50 Years.”  In her lecture, Dr. Goodall talked about how she got started with her career and shared some stories about the chimps at Gombe.  Then she talked about conservation and what people need to do to save species from extinction and to save the environment.  I had read about a lot of what she said, but it was so different and so much more exciting to hear her talk about it in person.  We had pretty good seats; we sat at about eye-level with her right in the middle of the row.

After the lecture, some college students got to ask Dr. Goodall questions.  My dad left at the beginning of that to get us a place in the line for the book signing.  I joined him at the very end of the question and answer session.  People were moving through the line quickly and everyone had his or her picture taken with Dr. Goodall after she autographed the books.  When I got there, I started talking to her and telling her I'm a high school student who is studying chimpanzees and that I want to do the same kind of work she does.  I said that she was such an inspiration for me.  I gave her my letter and told her that I'd really appreciate it if she ever got a chance to read it, and she said, "Sure, sure."  Then she added to my book, "For Maria--Follow your dream."  Then I had my picture taken with her and thanked her.  I must have made an impression because she wasn't writing notes in other books, and very few people even tried to talk to her.

Hopefully she remembered me and my letter after the event was over.  I will be so excited if she writes back to me!  She is very interested in motivating young people and I seemed to make a good impression, so I think I have a good chance.  I'll have to wait and see.  If I don’t hear from her, it was still really exciting just to hear her speak and to talk to her for a few seconds!  I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get to meet Dr. Goodall.  I thought that maybe I would in college or after college, but I never would have guessed that it would happen so soon!  It was a very rewarding experience that I will never forget.

Update:

I got a letter from Jane Goodall in response to the one I gave to her at the lecture!  It came the day after Thanksgiving.  It was a two-page, handwritten letter on Jane Goodall Institute stationery.  She told me I was well on my way and that there will be plenty of career opportunities for me to choose from when I finish school.  She wrote about Roots and Shoots, which is her youth program, and gave me the contact information of a few people who are involved with the organization.  I want to look more into Roots and Shoots as a way to volunteer and as a potential part of my Mentorship project next year.  I will e-mail those people as soon as I can.  I am so excited to have a letter from her!  I was very lucky to have the opportunity to meet her and hear from her, and I will never forget the experience.