I am a passionate educator and mentor with experience in both academia and industry and a background in marine and life sciences. I grew up in Upstate New York and earned my B.S. in Chemistry at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. I then moved to Hawaii to pursue my interests in marine science and warmer weather and earned a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. I studied marine viruses and the microplankton they infect in a variety of climates, from the polar waters of Antarctica to subtropical regions in the Pacific Ocean. I then spent several years in the life sciences industry supporting molecular biology applications, managing company-level scientific collaborations, and improving business relationships and customer experience. This is my second year teaching at St. Petersburg College and I am excited to bring my background and experience into the classroom and beyond! I am currently teaching Marine Biology for the St. Petersburg STEM Collegiate High School at the Downtown campus and Earth Science online for SPC.