Bio
I have felt enigmatically drawn to wild cats since first watching The Lion King as a child. Growing up in Massachusetts, USA, I would research big cats for every possible school project, imagine cheetahs running alongside me during track races, and add nomenclatural updates to an old felid species poster. The nature of wild cats encompassed a certain mystique that enchanted me, while their endangered existence involved a juxtaposition of power and fragility that motivated me toward conservation.
As threats to wild cats and countless others have increased, so too has my passion for supporting wildlife populations, human communities, and socioecological systems.
I am currently a PhD candidate in the Davies Lab at Harvard University. My work focuses on human-lion coexistence, socioecological systems, and JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion) in science. I am also a NSF Graduate Research Fellow and a visiting scientist at the American Museum of Natural History.
In 2018, I graduated magna cum laude from Rice University with a BS in ecology & evolutionary biology and minor in anthropology (with support from the Henry David Thoreau Scholarship). During undergrad, I also ran Division I cross-country/track and studied abroad in Tanzania with SIT (where I met my now-partner, Nathaniel). I then explored wild cat conservation abroad for one year with the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, during which I was lucky enough to see six big cat species and foster a global network of friends. Back in the USA, I received a Helen Fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History in computational science and education outreach for women.
Though I love my work (most of the time), I also love balancing my life with other experiences! Nala, a mixed-breed rescue pup, adopted Nathaniel and I in 2020; we enjoy running, hiking, dog training, and watching Marvel movies together. I like to travel whenever I can, whether for fieldwork, fun, and/or family, and I appreciate any opportunity to speak Spanish or Swahili! As a mixed Guatemalan American woman (and human being), connecting with Latinx culture, female friends, and natural surroundings is vital to my wellbeing. A few more descriptors that fit me: lactose intolerant cheese eater, perpetually late perfectionist, extroverted introvert, Boston sports fan, Mexican beer connoisseur, morning person.
Values
Core values guide who I am and what I do. I believe deeply in the importance of diversity, wellbeing, and coexistence. I am committed to promoting both human and nonhuman diversity and wellbeing in my personal and professional communities so all can equitably coexist on our shared planet. Discriminatory practices and attitudes – particularly aimed towards Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with (dis)abilities, and other marginalized identities – abound in academia, conservation, and society. This is unequivocally wrong and harmful. I devote real work, reflection, and education to JEDI both within and outside myself. I also recognize that no one is perfect, so I seek to learn from my mistakes and meet others where they are. Honesty and communication, which I pursue in all relationships, helps with this. To cultivate a JEDI mind (yes, I am a nerd), one must care for the wellbeing of oneself and others along the intersecting axes of physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental health. I believe radical humility and love can create socioecological communities of coexistence that thrive long-term.
There are many other values I hold dear, but to avoid a long list of buzzwords, here are a few that I am working to actualize in my life: collaboration, dialectical thinking, confidence, freedom to choose, mindfulness.
