Jessica King: Budding Zoologist

by Lindsay Bergman

The first thing I notice about our newest CC member is her hair. How could you not? Jessica King's shining brown hair reaches her knees, cascading waves that curl up sweetly at the ends. It is a point of pride for this Australian citizen: she claims she has never cut her hair, only trimmed it. For those in doubt, it appears exquisitely cared for. When I ask Jessica how she takes care of it, she laughs and says she doesn't use any special products - but it takes two hours to dry!

If her hair is imposing, the rest of Jessica isn't. Her hazel eyes are striking against her tanned skin and hair, but don't let that fool you. Her Starbucks order is simply a tall, dark cup of coffee, nothing added. She is no-nonsense and low-maintenance, and she is eager to share her life with me. We start with the basics: she is the second-oldest of eight siblings, and the oldest girl. Eight? I am tempted to ask, but Jessica anticipates my reaction before I can say anything. "The list of our names is almost as long as my hair," she quips. She must get that a lot.

Jessica's family owns a cattle station (that's ranch, for those of us who don't speak "Australian") in the Barkley Tablelands region of the Northern Territory. "It's pretty isolated," Jessica says. She and her siblings completed primary school through the School of the Air - the internet and satellite government homeschool program for children living in remote areas. She traveled to a Sydney boarding school for high school. It wasn't a huge adjustment, she says, because she was used to having to be responsible for herself and sharing a room. But living in the city, she says, was a bit "stifling". That's the flip side to living on an isolated ranch - you get nature all to yourself. Jessica loves animals, and her favorite is her pet dog, Barksee. She jokes that she decided to come to the States for college because her school allows pet dogs. In reality, she was up for an adventure.

Jessica is known to most of her friends as "Jessie". One of her best friends is her sister Georgia, who is a year younger. She and her siblings are close - she credits homeschooling and their isolated location for these bonds. Jessica also remains close to some of her friends from boarding school. In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding, sketching, playing with her dog, and "really, anything outdoors".

Jessica grew up idolizing the jillaroos and jackaroos on her parents' station - young adult trainees. However, she doesn't think she will continue to work on a station after college. "I'd like to do something with animals, maybe study them or take care of them. Even though they are directly involved in working the station, my parents' job involves a lot of business work, which I don't like," she explains. For now, this junior is majoring in zoology and dreaming of a job that allows her to spend time with her two favorite things on the planet: animals and nature.

On her way here, Jessica stopped over in Hawaii. She was fascinated by its unique wildlife and is currently looking into a program that will allow her to do research on one of the islands. "Although Australia is surrounded by the ocean, I grew up in the middle of it, in the bush," Jessica says. "I didn't see much of the ocean besides what I could in Sydney. I would definitely relish the chance to study tropical and oceanic wildlife more."

I wish Jessica luck with her endeavors as we finish our coffee. She needs to rush back to her hotel and take Barksee for a walk.