I come from a working class family, and never really liked school until I made it to university. Unfortunately, that was a difficult path since I dropped out of high school at age 16. I had to move to Louisiana and live there for 2 years in order to establish residency to be able to afford tuition. I worked retail halfway through my BS until i discovered my passion and aptitude for scientific discovery. In order to pursue this path, I took out several student loans and eventually authored 2 peer reviewed scientific papers before graduation. I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from university. My path took me to graduate school, where I received my PhD in quantitative biology. I am currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Southern California, where I study genetics and evolution with a focus on understanding how new species evolve in nature and how human impacts interact with this process. I am looking for a faculty position, and hope to become a professor at a research university.