My NOLA Experience

Attending the NOLA trip was so amazing and was also the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It was exhausting, it was fun, it was beautiful, it was eye-opening.

This trip gave me a lot of varied experience: monitoring, construction, public education – even cooking!

I think the best thing I got out of this trip was the solidification of my dream job. At Fishstock, I was able to interact with the public and teach them about some of the fish that reside in the Gulf. I had an absolute blast and was even pulled aside and interviewed by the Plaquemines Parish government about my scientific background and more.

Here I am in the latter half of the interview describing the relationship between dinosaurs and fish with the help of two of our living primitive bony fishes: the aligator gar and the spotted gar.

I’m also grateful for the other students I got to know on this trip. Everyone was kind, fun, encouraging, and passionate. I think a lot of us will stay friends for years to come.

Em, Christian (OSU), and I snap a quick sunset selfie in the van.