A 4 year old boy stood on a dock in Chadron State Park in Nebraska taking in the sounds of birds, the warm embrace of the sun, and holding the largest fishing knot mankind has ever seen. This is the beginning of my passion for science. My relationship with both science and education has grown throughout every chapter of my life. As a young child I was introduced to the outdoors through recreation. Hunting, fishing, and hiking all played a significant role. From a young age I have always been extremely curious about the world around me. In my youth I spent a lot of time fishing and hunting wondering what animals walked the woods, and what sorts of critters could be found beneath the waters surface. I was constantly flipping over rocks wondering what sort of small, seemingly invisible world was hiding beneath our feet. I moved to Hot Springs, SD when I was 5 years old and was surrounded by the natural world through public lands and state and national parks. As I grew older those questions were answered, which prompted more questions with more complex answers. As a teenager I continued my love for curiosity and science by working at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD. This was a phenomenal opportunity to work around cool stuff every single day! I worked there in the summer as a tour guide, and was fortunate to grow closer to the Mammoth Site during our senior “field experience” class where we shadowed and interned at a local business. I was fortunate to work under the late Dr. Larry Agenbroad who was my advisor for the program. The laboratory at the facility housed amazing specimens. I was able to “clean” a 140,000 year old skull (which was thought to be only 26,000 years old at the time). The experience was unforgettable being able to touch and feel something that lived and roamed the exact area we were standing in all those years ago. I went to college, and was unsure of my precise major, but knew I wanted to work in the sciences. Education has always been important from an early age. These in mind I strode off to my advisor to set my major to “Biology Education.” Throughout my college years I took some amazing classes and had some amazing experiences. From having a small class Q & A After college I worked as a middle school science teacher for the next 3 years, and a high school science teacher for 4 years after that. The most incredible part of being a teacher was being able to share my passion for science with students. After 7 years of teaching, I decided I wanted to work with science more, and am pursuing a career working as a medical laboratory scientist. I will be attending the SDSU Accelerated Medical Laboratory Science Program beginning January of 2026. My passion for science began at an early age and is still growing today. With each new experience and chapter in life I find myself understanding the small, tiny, invisible worlds just beneath our feet, and I find myself having more questions about those worlds too.