Growing up in Alaska provided me the unique opportunity of living in a community where the rapidly changing environment has such an embedded relationship with human health. I have always been interested in how integrated the two are, leading me to choose to attend the University of Alaska Fairbanks where I earned my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences. Here I gained a broad background in biology, with specific training and expertise in molecular techniques such as Next-Generation sequencing technologies and microbiology. My final year of my undergraduate degree I had the chance to work with my current mentor, Dr. Devin Drown, on a project exploring a new technology involved in DNA sequencing. The research I conducted on a soil microbial isolate resulted in a co-authorship of a genome resource announcement and two bacterial
genomes. I laid the groundwork for conducting my graduate research by participating in project design and lab work throughout the last few years. For my graduate training, I was able to expand on the topics I had
previously explored that piqued my interest. I have also been able to participate in many opportunities for mentoring undergraduate researchers, which I feel helps to continually strengthen my communication and technical skills.

I believe I am uniquely qualified for my role in this project due to my wide range of experiences and studies throughout my undergraduate degree. I spent time focused learning not only in biology, but also in advanced
mathematics and analytical chemistry which taught me to appreciate the interconnectedness of the sciences and me helped structure a more comprehensive approach to problem solving. Following graduation with my
MS in biological sciences, I plan to attend school for a PhD or MD/PhD in bioinformatics and genomics.