Then & Now: Friends in Science

Heather and I have been friends since the 8th grade. 
As Weber State nontraditional science students,
that makes our friendship almost 15 years old.
 

We met in band class, Heather played the flute and I played the drums. After high school graduation, we went our separate ways but kept in touch. Heather completed her Associate’s Degree at Weber while I entered the workforce and became a manager at a tech company. After her first degree, Heather wanted a change of pace, and I convinced her to come work with me. While in the workforce, I realized the value of a degree and started courses online at Weber.

In 2017, Heather came back to Weber after her working hiatus and I started attending campus full time, rather than online. We never guessed that our paths would become so entwined when we started attending Weber State on campus. We are both Zoology majors and took our first Zoology course, Zool 1110 - Principles of Zoology I together. From there, we became a package deal. We try to take all our classes together, some people even mistake us as sisters.

Though Heather and I had a strong friendship before entering Weber, we were surprised at how strong our friendship became and how many other friendships we would build. From that first Zoology course, we met other friends who ended up becoming a necessary support system. These friendships developed during long days filled with classes, study sessions enclosed in study rooms for hours and late nights, working on projects until we almost fell asleep on the floor. As you can imagine, the occasional, but needed, break from schoolwork allowed us to discuss personal life or interesting animal facts that weren’t related to course work.

Thanks to these friendships, study sessions, and healthy competition between each other, we are doing better in our classes than we would on our own. Our hard work has been recognized by others on campus, and both Heather and I have obtained jobs in the College of Science and we both participate in undergraduate research. Additionally, professors sometimes send us opportunities they come across that may be of interest to us, which is how we first heard about The Wildlife Society. 

We joined The Wildlife Society to build connections with our peers, as well as professional organizations. The club has provided us with opportunities to met others with similar interests and develop skills which will benefit our future. The friendships we have made in the club have also carried over to our classes, creating an even larger support system. Science classes are tough, but with strong friendships and a support system, they become manageable. Never underestimate the power of friendship in the sciences and if you are interested in animal science (i.e. Zoology), preserving wildlife, and need a support system at school, join us!

Learn More About The Wildlife Society

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