I am dedicated to improving the welfare of all animals, whether they are found in a laboratory, farm, zoo or the wild.
I work in Joe Garner’s lab in Stanford’s comparative medicine department to improve the welfare of a variety of laboratory animals, especially mice. As a Park Ranger at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, I patrol the boundaries of the park, interact with all visitors, and work on a variety of research projects with the Stanford biology department. I am an active member of the student group People for Animal Welfare which organizes events on vegan and environmental activism. Through Stanford’s Sophomore College Program Life in the Zoo, I designed and built a novel feeding enrichment device with a team of students for a family of Meerkats housed at the San Francisco Zoo and learned to navigate the conflicting demands of visitors, staff, board members, and welfare needs on zoo animals. I also have extensive fieldwork experience as a zookeeper, visitor guide, veterinary assistant, and field biologist at wildlife rehabilitation and rescue projects in Costa Rica and Suriname. Over the last four summers, I have volunteered and interned at Kids Saving the Rainforest, The Sloth Institute, and the Green Heritage Fund in Suriname. My personal efforts to reintroduce rainforest species (especially Tamandua anteaters) and heal wildlife harmed by human activity informed my decision to start my own wildlife rehabilitation project in Costa Rica after my time at Stanford University.