I grew up in upstate New York along the Hudson River. In 2015 I received my BS from SUNY ESF in Conservation Biology with minors in Marine Science and Construction Management. While at ESF I had the opportunity to complete field research in South Africa, Hawaii, and Costa Rica, all of which helped to solidify my love of nature. I also had the opportunity to gain hands on experience working with animals while interning at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. After graduating from ESF I started the MCP program; during the program I have been focusing on marine debris, mainly plastics, and how they impact the ocean environment. For my internship I will be working with Pulama Lana’i on the island of Lana’i in Hawaii creating and implementing the marine debris portion of their island wide environmental management plan.