I have lived in Florida since before I can remember and have always loved the natural environment.  This long time curiousity led me to pursue science as a career.  My higher education began at the University of Miami where I studied Biology, Chemistry, Marine Science, and Psychology.  After graduation (B.S. Biology) I worked for a year in marine science before heading to graduate school at the University of South Florida's College of Marine Science.  At USF, my research used chemistry as a tool to study the trophic interactions among estuarine dependent fish in Tampa Bay.  Along the way I realized that I enjoy sharing my love of science with others. Science is no good to anyone if it exists in a vacuum. This led me to accept a National Science Foundation GK-12 OCEANS fellowship.  Through this fellowship I was exposed to the accepted "best practices" in education while gaining classroom experience teaching science to third grade students.  I hope to bring this inside knowledge of education and my love of the environment to all my students.