Weber Science in the Caribbean 

When I graduated high school, I chose to attend a different University. I had no declared major, struggled in my large classes, and ultimately found little success there. After a year, I transferred to Weber State and declared my major in chemistry. As a chemistry major, I have been lucky to be a part of the College of Science for several years. I am grateful for the individuality of the instruction here. I was always scared to be a STEM major, but I always had an interest in the sciences. I’ve felt that fear go away as I’ve been supported in my classes and my future goals by the entire chemistry department. They instilled in me the confidence to do other scary things, like going to the Caribbean to do research. I don’t think I would’ve been able to go without that foundation.

Over winter 2022 break, I participated in the Ecosystem Field Science (ECOFS) Caribbean course from the University of Montana. I spent three weeks living on the beach in Xpu-Ha, Mexico, and studying the ecosystems there. I attended lectures on ecology, biology, and conservation given by the course staff (including WSU alumni!) and guest speakers. Every day was spent scuba diving, collecting data on the reef, and learning more about field science. I did my research project on the animals that live inside sponges up to 120 feet under the ocean. The course ended with a poster presentation of our data and a summary research paper. I had never taken a biology class, and this course was a marine biology and ecology based intense 3-week course. I had also only been SCUBA diving one time prior to the trip. However, because of my found confidence from my Weber State chemistry department, I knew I would be capable of learning everything I needed to learn to be successful in the research, and in the course.