How long have you been involved with the Raptor program? What aspects do you enjoy about it the most?

This is the third year I've been in the Raptor program. I joined in my Sophomore year by taking the class and started volunteering in the program afterwards. Since I stayed for the summer to work on research at Cornell, I was able to get more involved with education programs and working with the birds! One of the things I enjoy most is these education programs! Despite the usual anxiety I get when presenting, I love having the opportunity to present on the raptors at events that range from elementary school to here at Cornell. It's exciting seeing other people get excited about learning about these unique animals and how to help protect them! In addition to education programs, I love working with the individual birds in the program. No two individuals are the same and its exciting to see them grow along with developing a relationship with them. There was nothing more exciting than the first time Esther, our golden eagle, showed that she trusted me by eating on the glove or when Odin, our eastern screech owl, was comfortable enough to practice flying down the hall. 

What do you think your greatest research accomplishment has been so far?

One of the greatest research related accomplishments I've had was giving a talk at a conference this year. I never imagined myself being able to stand in front of a whole crowd of scientists and present my own research by myself. It was amazing to have the opportunity to present my own research on a system that few people have worked on and I'm excited to continue to present my work and get other people interested in the strange animals I work on. A more recent accomplishment has been completing my replication trials and creating figures for my honors thesis and first publication. It has been amazing seeing my work become real.

How do you think you have grown since coming to Cornell?

Cornell has helped me grow across all aspects of life. Academically, Cornell has allowed me to learn about a variety of fields and continue developing my scientific and artistic works. It has also made me more resilient and given me the opportunity to learn how to balance the different aspects of my life in a way where I can continue to grow and be happy. Cornell has also helped me come more out of my shell. When I started university, I was extremely quiet and while I am certainly still not the loudest person in the room, I've been able to develop my leadership and speaking skills through the classes I've taken, the programs I am involved in and the clubs I have worked with to help advocate for my beliefs.