I pride myself most in my ability to combine hard work with critical thought. Over the past 10 years (for over 250 hours), I volunteered removing invasive plants in South Africa’s grasslands. In college I learnt to translate physical rigor into academic focus. I have now transitioned from cutting down invasive trees to setting up an ecological monitoring protocol for SA's mesic grasslands. I was always a dedicated student of beautiful biological processes, and now I have the education and practical experiences to positively impact human and other-than-human relations.