Livia's WINS Experience

My freshman year at NYU was a transformative experience – one that was in large part due to my involvement in the Women in Science program. Before I even came to NYU or was accepted into the Women in Science program, I was invested in dedicating myself to a career in science. It is my goal to be both an explorer and research scientist who works to change public policy so that wildlife is better understood and preserved. I am very interested in species conservation because I am aware of the increasingly endangered wildlife whose natural habitats are being destroyed by increasing deforestation, mining, oil drilling, and exploitation of natural resources. It was my love for wildlife and the obvious vacuum in leadership to preserve wildlife that led me to aspire to become a zoo director. Dr. Lynne Kiorpes, the director of WINS, played an important role in helping me to further my career aspirations. During the course of the year, Dr. Kiorpes and Dr. Kimberly Torres, the advisor to WINS, would check-in regularly with us to make sure that you were doing well and understood the course materials in your classes. I was taking both biology and chemistry and the amount of work and studying the two courses required was immense, however it was reassuring to know that there was a support system at NYU. In addition, the monthly meetings with the rest of the WINS scholars were yet another opportunity to meet fellow aspiring women scientists and to learn of their career goals and interests. I also had the priceless experience to work in Dr. Lynne Kiorpes' laboratory. I was having difficulty finding a laboratory to work in because I had little experience, excluding the labs that were required for Chemistry and Biology. I wanted to gain basic experience to learn the dynamics of a laboratory and it was due to my involvement with WINS that I was given the opportunity to do. I am gaining valuable experience working with macaque monkey, and a lab certification. And it was also due to the Women in Science program and my time at NYU that I was able to get a summer internship at the Wilderness Society in Washington, DC.