I strive to live my life completely, thoughtfully, and courageously, with compassion for both myself and others. I came to High Point University as an Exercise Science major with the intention of becoming a physical therapist but found a passion for academic and laboratory science. Now, with a second degree in Chemistry I hope to obtain a PhD that will allow me to contribute in the scientific effort to better understand how the human body interacts with its environment within the context of disease, health behavior, and climate change. To me, success can be thought of in one of two ways: (1) obtaining tangible goals, or (2) a continuous state of being, achieved through persistent, directional effort towards an ideal. I will have many individual successes in my life, and despite their accompanying failures, I will continue to be successful so long as I am intentional in striving for my goals.