I began my educational journey at the University of Arizona as a molecular and cellular biology major. I progressed through three years of coursework before realizing that, while close, this wasn't exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
The summer before my senior year, I took a long, hard look at my options at that point. To be honest, the path of least resistance would have been to finish my degree, and try and find a job that I was qualified for in which I would have at least a moderate degree of interest.
The other, more drastic option included a switch of majors, perhaps even of schools, until I found a fit that was right for me. I had made contact with several members of the biology department at ASU my senior year in high school. Additionally, the new president of ASU, Dr. Michael Crow, has a background in the science policy arena. This seemed like an area that would make an obvious fit for me. I had always been interested in public policy and international relations, and connecting that with the experience and coursework I already had under my belt made a good deal of sense.
Now that I had determined a direction for my further studies, all that was missing was a path. There were several options open to me, but the BIS program offered a path toward linking my two disciplines of interest so that they might work together in a coherent fashion.
Click the links to the right to learn about some of my educational experiences.
