2012 Major: Biology
"In the 10 years since I finished my undergraduate degree at Duke, I have completed a PhD, become a researcher and lecturer at the University of Oxford focusing on ecology and conservation, and I chair a working group on species recovery for the International Union for Conservation of Nature. I love being a scientist and feeling like I am contributing new knowledge and ideas that can help us understand and conserve nature, and the wonderful thing about doing a Biology degree at Duke is that I already felt like a scientist when I graduated. There are so many different ways that Duke trained and prepared me to conduct research: from the wonderful field-based classes where we interacted with organisms ranging from mosses to lemurs; to work-study in the greenhouses and in animal behavior labs that gave me a chance to get to know Duke researchers as people; to getting to design and conduct my own research both in study abroad and in a senior thesis; to taking advantage of undergrads being allowed to enroll in graduate classes in the Nicholas School. As an undergrad at Duke, I wasn't just being taught about biology- I was experiencing it for myself."
"The classes might feel hard at times. But that's because you're learning things that matter, and that will prepare you for your future- whether that future is in biology or not. Try to enjoy the challenge!"
