As a recent graduate of Loyola New Orleans, I am happy to announce that I will be pursuing my doctorate degree in the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior program at the University of Texas in Austin. The EEB program allows the collaboration of many scientists from across the natural sciences to ask questions as to how and why organisms and ecosystems exist the way they do today. Under the guidance of Dr. Michael Ryan, I will be exploring these questions on the family of live-bearing fish known as Poeciliidae.  Specifically, I will work on understanding the role of the environment on the behavior of these fish. Fishes often live in altered environments due to human population expansion or climate change. Understanding how these changes can affect reproductive behaviors or social structures will allow us to create more effective management plans in order to keep a species from collapse.

              My time at Loyola taught me to be fully engaged in both the academic and local community, as well as to appreciate all living things. I plan to continue this pursuit after graduate school as a professor.  With this role, I hope to encourage students to pursue conservation-based research and to make the connection with local communities in order to create a more sustainable life for all.