The New ProRanger

My name is Brennan McAuley. I am using this post to introduce myself on both a semi-personal, and professional level. I am twenty years old, and a sophomore at Temple University. Some interesting facts about me: I grew up visiting national parks, I am fluent in German, and I have wanted to be a Park Ranger since I was in the seventh grade. All three of these facts have a  story behind them. They help explain who I am as a person and who I want to become as a professional.

Through my exploration of many national parks and national historic sites I was able to discover how amazing the U.S.A truly is.  While I do feel like my love for the United States of America is innate, I realize that my love for this nation comes from my experiences in national parks, and from growing up learning about America’s unique history. My parents instilled in me the significance of being American and what a true privilege it is. My love for travel and education go hand in hand, especially when I chose to do my senior year of high school abroad in Germany. I was able to do this by getting accepted into the competitive Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange scholarship. This is a government funded scholarship that allowed me to complete a full academic year of high school in Germany. I was the first student at my high school to ever attempt this and I had to work to influence and create policy in my school district to make it possible. I learned so much from this time period, from learning German to learning how to stand for what I believe in, work hard, and persevere through anything that comes my way.

In our society a career is often what defines us. I always knew I wanted to have a purposeful and meaningful career. I have always had an interest in the outdoors and history. I also possess a very strong passion for law enforcement. After taking a number of law classes at Temple I knew exactly what I wanted to do. They say if you do what you love then you will never work a day in your life. I disagree with this statement because I enjoy hard work and getting the job done. I am on my way towards doing what I love, and I have never planned on working harder to get there. Once I am there I am going to continue to work hard to effectively and proudly represent the National Park Service. I am eager to work for the NPS and to make my contributions, whatever they may be. I am already on my way to starting my career and working towards something that stands for something so much more than just myself.

You are reading this because I was selected into the fifth cohort of the Temple University’s ProRangers program.  I realized from the moment I found out about the program what an amazing opportunity it is. I am going to take advantage of everything this one of a kind program has to offer me. For example, I am going to get the most out of my upcoming summer internship. I do not know where my internship will be taking place yet, but I will surely post again when I find out. I love national parks because of their mission; because of this I will be happy anywhere I go this summer.  I am excited to give it my all and learn a lot wherever my summer internship takes place. If I were to become a law enforcement ranger today I would not be ready.  I would not be ready at all.  However, I know that after I complete the ProRangers program at Temple University I will have the confidence, knowledge, and skill necessary to do my job and be great at it.  Today I cannot wait to learn from the best, tomorrow I cannot wait to be the best.      

I want to thank everyone who has allowed me to get to this point, and for believing in me. This is a program I am truly passionate about. I am looking forward to being able to use this blog as a platform to help share my growth and experiences with you. For this post I would like to conclude with my favorite quote, “ Du kannst dem Leben nicht mehr Tage geben, aber dem Tag mehr Leben”. This is German for "You cannot give life more days, but you can give your days more life". Please feel free to leave questions or comments. Thank you for taking the time to read my first post. I enjoyed being able to share a little bit about myself and why I am here!

Update: 3/22/16  I am excited to announce that I will be completing my first summer internship at Boston National Historical Park. I am looking forward to learning the ins and outs of the park. I am also looking forward to meeting and learning from extremely skilled and practiced NPS employees.