Wildlife Vocalizations: Emma Gómez-Ruiz

I started dreaming about dedicating my life to the study of wildlife during my childhood. Although I was not aware that wildlife biology was a profession, I always felt passion for observing and learning about the plants and animals around me. I grew up in a small town in Coahuila, Mexico. I was lucky to live next to a big yard at my grandmother’s home, where I could explore and observe plants and animals. When I was nine, my parents gave me a toy microscope, and I would spend hours trying to observe the micro-world. That curiosity toward the natural world stayed with me as my guiding star.

My hometown did not have many college degree options, so I applied to a university in the city of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon. My first challenge was convincing my parents it was the right decision—they were unsure where I was going to work as a biologist.

In a way, they were right. Finding a job as a wildlife biologist in Mexico is not easy—you must be open to learning and trying different opportunities to make your own path. I am grateful to those who gave me those first opportunities as a young field biologist.

For most jobs that entail many hours in the field or camping and traveling from one site to another, the preference was usually to hire men rather than women. In the culture that I grew up in, the expectation is that women cannot do things like drive a truck or travel alone because we are more vulnerable to danger.

But I got the opportunity to work as a field technician for wildlife surveys in northern Mexico, an experience that gave me confidence in my skills and what I could achieve. I’ll be honest that I always had the fear of danger in the back of my head, but that did not stop me from following my passion.

Becoming a mom while finishing my PhD dissertation before my scholarship ended required extra organization, dedication and help from friends and family. It was especially challenging as a single parent in a foreign country. Years before becoming a mom, I heard opinions that if women wanted to be successful in a science career, they must not have children. I never agreed with that idea. After 10 years of being a mom, I am happy to say that it can be done. It is never easy, and it takes a lot of commitment, but it is also very rewarding.

My advice to young wildlife biologists: It is more important to know precisely what you do not want in your life than to know the exact things you want. Stay on the path and allow some flexibility, and I promise you will be OK.

Wildlife Vocalizations is a collection of short personal perspectives from people in the field of wildlife sciences. 

Learn more about Wildlife Vocalizations, and read other contributions.

Submit your story for Wildlife Vocalizations or nominate your peers and colleagues to encourage them to share their story. For questions, please contact tws@wildlife.org.