I am from Belize, a small country in Central America located just northeast of Guatemala. In 1996, I was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University) under the CAMPUS (Central American Program for Undergraduate Scholars). I graduated from SEMO in 1998 with Bachelors in Biology and Unified Science Education, and a minor in Environmental Science. After completing my undergraduate degree, I worked for the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE); an environmental organization dedicated to the conservation of Belize’s natural resources as Scientific Research Coordinator. In 2002, I began my graduate work at the University of South Carolina where I was later awarded a M.S. in Marine Science. My work focused on the “Influence of thermal history on the response of Monastraea annularis to short-term temperature exposure.”

Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in the Marine Science Program at the University of South Carolina working under the direction of Dr. Helmuth. My current research interest is focused on assessing physiological responses of coral from the inner (Port Honduras Marine Reserve), and outer (Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve) reefs of southern Belize. Ultimately, I would like to take the next step to assess how regular collection and analysis of coral physiological data can be used to promote coral reef conservation in marine protected areas.