While at the zoo I witnessed a sick brown bear. At the young age of six I asked my teacher “How is he going to get better?” and she replied “An animal doctor is going to help it get better”. That was the day I discover what a veterinarian was. I could not fathom that nursing animals back to health was a career field and adults actually do this. At the moment my passion for animals and their wellbeing grow even stronger.

Currently I am a junior attending Fayetteville State University (FSU) majoring in Biology on a pre-vet track with a minor in chemistry. I am also in the Fayetteville State University Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (FSU-Rise) program.  FSU-Rise is a project federally-funded by the National Institute of Health and Human Services with the overall goal to increase the number of well-prepared FSU biology, chemistry and psychology minority students entering biomedical and behavioral research. RISE Scholars participate in three full years of structured educational pipeline activities leading to graduate school including participation in hands-on biology-techniques workshops; enrichment seminars; faculty-mentored intramural and extramural research; Scientific Communications and interdisciplinary research courses; local and national research symposia and conferences; and a full Graduate Record Examination (GRE) preparatory workshop.

 My freshman year I was an OPTIMUM scholar. OPTIMUM scholars are presented with internships, undergraduate research and career opportunities throughout the year. In particular, scholars are strongly encouraged to participate in internships at local STEM enterprises to expose them to mentorship provided by Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) professionals. I am an active volunteer with The Mathematics and Science Education Network (MSEN) Pre-College Program. This program was designed to targeted students participate in academic enrichment activities, and teachers associated with the program receive in-service education.

Recently I conducted research with Watershed Watch titled The Watermark Project:  Human Actions Impacting the Quality of Water Jeff Schloss from University of New Hampshire was my mentor.  In this research we investigated local stream water quality to determine the impacts of agriculture and development. We selected four sites two controlled sites, one agricultural site, and one developmental site. We tested the water’s temperature, dissolved oxygen levels, pH, and specific conductivity with a multi-parameter meter. We also collected water samples to analyze the ammonia, nitrite, and the turbidity. Macro invertebrates were also sampled in vegetative and muddy areas at each sample site.

Under Jeff Woods at Elizabeth City State University I did a A comparative study of the 2011/2013 water quality assessments in the Pasquotank Watershed in Northeastern North Carolina. Here I conducted tests on five tributaries and on the Pasquotank River to compare the results of the 2011 team. Streams tested were Newbegun Creek, Knobbs Creek, Areneuse Creek, Mill Dam Creek, and Sawyers Creek.
 After undergraduate study I plan on attending graduate school to obtain a PhD-DVM in Veterinarian Medicine.