I am currently a MS student under Vitor Mercadante studying reproductive physiology in beef cattle. I have always been around cattle, as I grew up near Burke South Dakota on my family's cow calf operation. My interest in research started during my undergraduate degree at South Dakota State University, where I conducted research under Dr. Jessica Drum mostly focusing on synchronization and follicular dynamics. I came to Virginia Tech because of the vast applied research capabilities Dr. Mercadante's lab possesses and the quality of research that he conducts.