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Amber Forrestal

Biography

Profile: Amber Forrestal was born in Hawaii and is a self-admitted “beach girl”.  She’ll be heading back to the state of her birth for her undergraduate degree after achieving academic honors at a community college in Texas ...where the nearest beach is a long, long way away. Amber will major in Marine Science and that’s a perfect fit for her since her two greatest loves are animals and science.  Specifically Amber’s concentration will be endangered species conservation. “I have a strong passion for caring for animals affected by the destruction of their environment, and I find that the more I learn, the more motivated I am to do something about it and to educate others on these issues,” said Amber.  Amber has spent a good deal of her free time (when not working several jobs to pay for college) as a volunteer with various animal rescue organizations and with the El Paso Zoo.  For Amber working with animals is the ultimate labor of love, something that’s been a part of her as long as she can recall.  “I've been collecting homeless animals since I was a little girl.”

Inspiration:  Dr. Tony Flores at El Paso Community College gets the honor as Amber’s most memorable and inspirational mentor.  “He was my Biology II instructor in the summer of 2010 as I was just deveoping my love of science, said Amber.  “He could not have come along at a better time.” Dr. Flores taught Amber to search deeper when it came to the subject of biology, and she has applied this method to every new biology class she has encountered.

Aspiration:  Amber would like to become a zoologist and work towards the preservation of the wild animal populations that are decreasing daily. “I've been developing this choice ever since childhood where I grew up next to the ocean,” said Amber. “I have a deep appreciation for the cycle of life and of the delicate balance of nature that can be so easily disrupted.”

Making a Difference: Amber is an expert at rescuing and “adopting out” stray kittens. “This particular interest of mine is a challenge in patience and financial resources,” said Amber. She has bottle fed young kittens, chased older ones around her neighborhood, spent hours taming mother cats, and “been scratched, bitten and chewed on.” The future marine biologist said she has “blown through hundreds of dollars in veterinarian bills for spaying, neutering, and health issues.”  She’s also cried when she found them good homes, and she’s even taken a few back when she thought they weren't being cared for. “They wake me up at the crack of dawn, and they bother me constantly as I do my homework. I love all of the kittens I've raised and adopted out as if they were my kids.” Letting them go never gets easier, Amber said, “yet I'm proud of the fact that they would probably be starving on the streets and contributing to the cat overpopulation crisis had I not taken care of them.”

Accolades:  Amber was awarded the El Paso Community College Foundation Scholarship for an essay on her volunteer work with animals.  She has also received a Certificate of completion for Dog CPR and First Aid certification as well as a certificate of completion of a minimum of 20 hours volunteer work at the Animal Rescue League during one semester of college.

Interesting Fact:  She calls herself a “total science fiction nerd” who loves the Battlestar Galactica TV series “and anything sci fi.” Although true science is Amber’s field, “I love to lose myself in fictitious stories of unexplainable phenomenon and alien beings from other worlds.”

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