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Hometown: Park Ridge, IL
Year/Graduation: Sophomore, May 2027
Concentration: Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Why Illinois? – What factors helped contribute to your decision to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
I decided to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign because of the many research opportunities that are available here. Currently, I am working in the Kent Lab, which studies microbial ecology. I plan to join more research labs in the future so I can explore more areas of environmental science. I also chose this university because of the hands-on field experience. Along with the many volunteering clubs that help organizations, the university also offers classes on field research. I plan to do field research in my career, so this was very important to me.
Why NRES? – Specifically, why did you choose to study Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences?
I decided to choose Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences because I have always known that I wanted to study conservation. Since it has a smaller population of students, it has the benefit of having more one-on-one help with the NRES faculty in a large school setting. I was able to bond with lots of peers who share similar interests and connect more personally with my professors. Through NRES, I will be ready to find my niche in environmental science that I will pursue in the future.