I was born in Mattoon, IL but I have lived in West County, near Westport Plaza for about 12 years.

         I am in Biology because I have been fascinated by the topics that it encompasses since I was really introduced to it in high school.  The teacher I had for my first Biology class in high school made everything really fun and interesting and so he sparked my interest in the field.  From then on I took every Biology class the school offered and loved the things we talked about, especially the molecular side of the field.

         I would love to say that I have some career in mind that I definitely want to and am going for.  However, right now I really have no clear idea of what I want to do after I graduate in May 2006.  I know that I like genetics and have planned on going to graduate school for something, probably genetics.  Coming out of high school I had wanted to become a high school biology teacher because I appreciated what my teachers had done so much through the years.  Now, however, if I get into academics I am leaning towards a college professor instead of a high school teacher. 

         The main thing that I want to get out of this REU project is experience with different molecular techniques such as PCR, electrophoresis and purification.  Other than that I would love to make a few connections at other universities, see what research is really like, maybe clear up some career ideas and if we were to get published, that would be a huge plus.

         Things I like to do for fun include largely sports, movies and music.  I am a huge Cardinals fan and a pretty big Rams fan as well.  I try to see a lot of movies and am always finding new music to listen to.  I love spending time outside and doing physical activities, especially if it involves playing basketball, baseball, football, biking, etc.