Eventually, I grew up and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in Geological Sciences and Environmental and Plant Biology from nearby Ohio University.  While pursuing my undergrad, I studied astrogeology, meteoroids, and impact induced cave systems in Ohio and West Virginia. I also worked in Dr. Wyatt's lab researching the effect of magnetic fields on plant growth and development. This work gave me a chance to share my research at national and international conferences, and while attending these events, I felt a real gap in the representation of diverse voices: women, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, people with disabilities, people from economically disenfranchised communities (communities much like my own).

​When I graduated

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I try to teach her that now, as a little person, how to grow up and into her own