"From a young age I always knew I would be working in some way in the natural world. I grew up staring into the deep dark ocean, climbing mountains to dig for watermelon tourmaline, and exploring wetlands barefoot in search for salamanders. I didn't know exactly what I wanted or what I was ever searching for, but I knew I wanted to be outside. Fast forward to today. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but an Environmental Scientist has been a great title. I kid, but what I do ensures the health and safety of the environment and community. My typical day is not all too exciting, regulatory research and the like, but I get to shine when I am by myself in the field, hiking to get to a bald eagle's nest for observation or getting stuck in the mud trying to track a gps point. I see these times as gifts and I soak in all I can before I have to go back and research petroleum storage. Exploring has always been in my nature, and yes it gets me into a good amount of trouble from time to time, but I get to see some beautiful places and fascinating creatures. This extends into my free time where I love to garden and grow diverse local species outside and have a wild collection of various tropical plants that I dote over. Lately I have been experimenting with biopest control. People tend to be caught off guard when they open our fridge and find praying mantis oothecas hibernating, but anyone who knows me gets it: let the dirt doctor cook."