“How did you decide you wanted to pursue a career in biology?”
“I’m not sure that I recall exactly when I had decided to do that. When I was visiting my parents, five years ago, I found a diary entry of when I was really little. […] I read in it that I felt really good when I was in nature and when I was walking around, and looking at the trees, looking at the grass, the insects, [and the] bugs and birds. So, I guess I had it in me a little bit, I just wasn’t sure how to recognize it. What drew me to science completely was my undergrad experience. I was in biology (general biology) but then I took some field courses, and as soon as I took those field courses, that’s when I knew that I needed to be outside, I need to play in the mud, and play with the animals and the plants. That changed my life completely.”
“If you had any advice for undergrads in general biology, what would that be?”
“[…] I think that it’d be to go outside. Take observations, take a look around you. Have fun, and explore everything around, whether it’s indoors or outdoors. Have that curiosity, don’t lose that curiosity about why certain things are, the way that they are. And, talk to other people. I think you’ll learn a lot by talking to your peers, and talking to your professors. Approach your professors! Be yourself! Have fun, go outside, and play!”
