I grew up in a small town just outside of Charlotte, NC. After high school, I attended Wingate University from 2012-2016, where I received a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Biology. As an undergraduate I worked closely with Dr. Edward Mills completing research with Coturnix chinensis and Dr. Erika Niland studying the molecular identification of Beauveria bassiana and the Kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria. After graduation in May of 2016, I accepted a 6th grade Science and Math teaching position while applying for graduate school. My search for graduate schools with a Master’s of Science in Entomology program lead me to the beautiful campus of UGA. As a grad student, I have accepted a research assistantship working under the direction of Dr. Michael Toews while working towards earning a Master’s of Entomology by the end of 2019.