My undergraduate degree granted me research opportunities in and outside the classroom that propelled my love for ecology. I had the opportunity to participate in several different undergraduate research projects as individual and team assignments. One such project was investigating the effects of a man-made cut on the biology and ecology of the Satilla River. I was was responsible for attending every field trip to set 150 ft gill nets, crab pots, kille traps, marsh transects, and otter trawling for fish and plant physiology and diversity. After field collection was finished, I was responsible for data entry and management utilized for analysis. During my graduate degree I worked at the Savannah River Ecology Lab at a biosafety level 2 insectary studying heavy metal contamination on mosquito fitness and vectorial capacity. I managed the BSL2 laboratory which I was responsible for ordering supplies, organization and inventory of the lab, creation and update of protocols for mosquito husbandry and dog heartworm infection. Additionally, I conducted research for my thesis where I raised multiple generations of mosquitoes, lab strain of Aedes aegypi and wild type strain of Aedes albopictus, under heavy metal selection pressures (methylmercury and copper) and infected adult female mosquitoes with dog heartworm, Dirofilaria immits. Although I predominantly worked alone, I hired and conducted interviews of four separate technicians. I conducted the training and delegation of duties for these individuals during their time at SREL. I often had to work long days and nights in an environmental chamber maintaining mosquito colonies and ongoing experimentation throughout the week/weekend. My graduate degree prepared for the necessity of being organized, detail orientated, and thoroughly prepared due to meeting deadlines, maintaining large numbers of mosquito experiment populations (infection and heavy metal contamination) and colony maintenance, and technician delegations for preparation and mosquito care.I am highly motivated and adaptable, I work well with others both leading and taking direction, and a quick learner to any task. My previous research experience prepared me for long hours in and out of the lab, hard work and dedication to prepare manuscripts and presentations for journals and conferences, and outreach to promote awareness and distribute knowledge to many non-expert individuals.