Meeting Jane Goodall Essay Samples

When I was in high school, I attended a conference on environmental sustainability with renowned activists and speakers from all over the world. While walking over to the room where Jane Goodall, my most revered personal idol, was to speak, I saw her and her manager out of the corner of my eye, walking towards me. I was already secretly hoping to meet her because I am a big fan of her work and inspirational message of peace and what I received on that fateful day, was unimaginably better than what I had ever dreamed of.
Upon crossing paths with her, I garnered my courage and approached her manager and asked if I could have a minute with Jane herself. The manager looked to Jane, who saw me and welcomed me with open arms to the backroom where she was to speak as she had twenty minutes before she was to go on stage. During those twenty minutes, I was shaking and nervous, without a plan on what to say or ask. Luckily, Jane sensed this insecurity and led the conversation. She spoke of how wonderful the town where conference was held is and how she was very impressed with our commitment to the environment; however, she thought that we could do more. This is where I had the opportunity to step in and tell her all about the environmental initiatives I had planned and was leading at that time, and my true passion for activism came out in my words. The conversation flowed easily until it was time for her speech.
Her speech was one of the most inspirational messages I have ever heard. One quote that resonated deeply with me was when she spoke of us youth as the messages that we send into the future and that great environmental awareness is needed to protect our environment in the future. Walking away from the environmental conference and the unforgettable experience of meeting Jane Goodall, I promised myself to live by her words every day and continue working with others for the betterment of our environment, people, and animals, as we are a reason to hope for the planet’s future. I continue to lead by example after meeting her and will continue on the path as a messenger of peace and hope for the world.