My post high school goals include: Going to college and getting a degree in entomology, mammalogy, or marine biology.

STEM courses I have taken: IDEA, Honors Biology, and Honors Geometry. I am currently enrolled in Honors Chemistry and Honors Algebra II.

Current research overview: I am studying the effects of microplastics on the species of butterfly Vanessa cardui, otherwise known as the painted lady. Caterpillars will consume microplastics that are mixed into their food until they grow and I can collect them as adults. Once I collect them, I will look for microplastics within the body, measure them, and write up my study.

The effects of microplastics on insects are relatively unknown. There are massive gaps in our knowledge and I seek to fill those gaps. If we can understand how microplastics affect insects, we can get one step closer to cutting microplastics out of the pollution spectrum.