I am a 4th year Biology undergraduate student with a Marine Biology concentration, and I will be graduating in the Spring of 2023. I began working at the Phytoplankton Analysis Laboratory in August of 2021 as a Lab Technician where I am responsible for the taxonomic enumerations of phytoplankton and potentially toxigenic shellfish harmful algal bloom (HAB) species within the Chesapeake Bay, it’s tributaries, and shellfish growing areas in coastal waters of Virginia. I also help manage the lab’s datasets for reporting HABs to state and federal management agencies. At the completion of my Bachelors of Science in Biology, I will enter the Biology graduate program with Dr. Gloria Massamba N’Siala, here at ODU, to research marine annelids. After my master’s, I hope to become a researcher at NOAA so I can have the opportunity to assist in conservation efforts in different ecosystems around the world. My hobbies include hanging out with my dogs and cats, paddleboarding, and scuba diving whenever I get the chance.
