It has been quite a journey to get to where I am today so I guess I am going to provide a long answer. However, I do feel like I am in the field I am meant to be in. I grew up on a small farm at the back of a trailer park in Massachusetts that was adjacent to woods that had a pretty good trail system. I love to explore, and have always been drawn to wildlife. As an undergrad at Northeastern University (NU) I struggled to figure out what I was going to do. I had difficulty focusing on classes while playing Division 1 Field Hockey, but it taught me academic work ethic and project balance. In my middler year (NU is a five year school with work experience semesters), I was able to fit an animal behavior class into my busy schedule and that class changed everything. I ended up having to have hip surgery and had to retire from collegiate sports so that freed me up to pursue some of the lab courses I was missing. Needing to fill time, focus, and make some money, I obtained a work-study job in the biology labs which peaked my interest in natural history and wildlife. I attempted a double major in psychology and biology so I could work on undergraduate animal behavior research (which ultimately led to jobs as a zookeeper) and work in Northeastern's Center for Vertebrate Studies (NUVC- Dr. Gwilym Jones), which provided lab and field experience in wildlife. I took whatever chance I could to gain hands-on experience.

I stayed at NUVC for my Master's of Science where I chased mice (Peromyscus spp) in the western part of Massachusetts. I was able to travel the eastern part of the United States measuring mouse skulls in some of the greatest collections including Harvard and the Smithsonian. I dabbled in molecular work through my MS and collaborated with researchers at Tufts University (now at UMass Amherst- Dr. Stephen Rich). I had great mentors, both in academia and at Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (Dr. Tom French and Jim Cardoza) that provided me with excellent experiences. Upon graduation I worked for Boston University's (BU) Biology department as a laboratory instructor and at Wentworth Institute of Technology as an adjunct instructor. Through thesis, teaching, and contract work with mice, bats, and ticks I became interested in wildlife disease ecology and started to see a path. In between teaching sessions and on weekends I assisted with bat research through the Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology. Dr. Tom Kunz (THE Batman) and Dr. Marianne Moore (a grad student at the time) eventually encouraged me to leave the roost to pursue a PhD.

A graduate student recommended that I peruse abstracts from the meetings, list out what was most interesting and see if there were Universities or advisors that keep popping up. Worked! I kept seeing the University of Georgia (UGA) Warnell School of Natural Resources headline meeting abstracts and journal articles. I began to email Professors about opportunities and Dr. Michael Yabsley was at the top of the list and happened to have a few openings. I will always be grateful that he took a chance on me.

The project I was accepted to pursue was on Upper Respiratory Tract Disease in Gopher Tortoises. This project had everything: trapping, radio telemetry, molecular work, work with private landowners and state agencies, parasitology, ecology, habitat management… Everything! It was at the Jones Ecological Research Center where I could really be creative and find my niche. I also strong female mentors, Dr. Lora Smith and Dr. Sonia Hernandez, who showed me that I could achieve my goals. I can not stress the importance of having mentors that you can trust, that will challenge you, and help you through mistakes. Working with a candidate species for federal listing provided wonderful opportunities to meet people in various organizations and roles.
I eventually found my way to working with private landowners, which is the #1 way we are going to reach our habitat restoration goals with most species in the United States, particularly in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem.

Upon graduation with my PhD, I accepted a job as a Farm Bill biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Private Lands Program. I was fortunate to be paid to focus my time on helping landowners manage their property for gopher tortoises, quail, and longleaf pine- a few of my favorite things.