One of the most significant moments of discovery that I credit almost ALL of my fascination with biological studies to was my registration mishap during my first winter quarter at the university. After failing to secure a spot in a class I was DESPERATE to land for a possible design major, I was forced to choose a different course as a consolation prize to keep myself above full-time enrollment. 

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It was at this pivot that I discovered my love of natural history through a class offered at the Burke. I spent my winter mornings exploring the new collections, playing “researcher” or “collections assistant” across different spaces, and falling in love with the building and science itself. This class introduced me to a new realm of biological sciences that I did not consider seriously until then and eventually led me to join the Rico-Guevara lab by the start of my sophomore year.