Students

I have always loved animals, but I found a passion for wildlife during my time volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation center in my hometown. I began volunteering when I was 13 and when it came time to apply for college, I knew that I wanted to continue working with wildlife. I attended Auburn University and received my bachelor's degree in Wildlife Ecology and Management in 2022. I began working as a graduate student in Dr. Brown's lab in June of 2023 where I am currently studying the distribution and abundance of Alabama Map turtles in the upper Coosa River drainage.

Ever since I could walk, learning about turtles and tortoises has been my passion. This has led me to pursue a career focusing on turtle ecology and conservation. I began my academic career at the University of Georgia where I did independent research on the eastern musk turtle as well as working on diamondback terrapins, gopher frogs, the slimy salamander complex of North Carolina, and northern bob-white quail. After graduating in 2023 with my Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources, with an emphasis on wildlife, I began my master's at Jacksonville State University in August of 2023 studying the demography, reproduction, and genetics of the flattened musk turtle in the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River.