Since high school I have been driven towards tackling the big picture problems in the world. Starting with working in a Community Problem Solving group looking to address issue of plastic pollution on a local level. This included painting no dumping/littering warnings on storm drains, drafting a contract with local businesses and a recycling company, and getting those recycling costs subsidized by the city. After high school, I immediately went to Old Dominion University (ODU) and received my Bachelor's of Science in Biology in 2021. In that time, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant studying native orchid seed germination techniques. In the summer of 2021, I dove head-first into my Master's of Public Health in Environmental Science. During the beginning of this degree, I worked as a graduate research assistant transcribing audio-files, note-taking, and maintaining communications with research participants while upholding HIPAA standards. These experiences and achievements have greatly shaped the skills and interests that I hold today.