This page lists the skills I have accumulated throughout my master's studies. I have made these lists as comprehensive as possible, and included examples or explanations for context. 

Throughout my academic journey, I explored and participated in numerous extracurricular workshops, organizations, summits, seminars, mentoring programs, and independent learning courses to broaden my personal and professional development. This was by no means an "obligation", but rather, one of the most rewarding decisions of my degree.

The one thing I regretted most from my undergraduate studies was not having been more engaged in the student community and not exploring opportunities outside my curriculum for personal growth. University communities are a unique construct where extraordinary diversity exists all in one place and the chance to meet someone or learn something is right around every single corner. This time, I made a promise to myself that I would be much more proactive about my engagement. As an online student, this was not always effortless to uphold- oftentimes I would find an event, opportunity, or organization I was deeply interested in, only to learn it was strictly in-person. Amazingly, once I found a philanthropic activity hosted by Northeastern that was taking place in MY CITY- Tucson, Arizona!!! I was so disappointed when I found out there were no more open positions, despite being three months before the event.

 Participating in professional organizations has been a great way to meet experts in the field and stremgthen my networking skills. Additionally, Northeastern University has an amazing website called NUSource where they pair students up with alumni in the field with similar interests or that work at a company of interest to the student to develop mentorship or referral relationships, and I have connected with several professionals through that service. 

I have always carried myself with a high level of respect for others and I have strong listening skills, which makes networking seem more like socializing than "training". I love learning what others do and how they got there, and I love to share my story. So much more can be communicated in just a few minutes of networking than anything that gets listed on a resume! 

I came across a statistic yesterday that indicated that only ~10% of job opportunities are obtained through employment boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or ZipRecruiter, and that more than 80% of opportunities come instead from networking!!! Additionally, most open positions are never even listed on job boards, but rather, filled through networking! I am uncertain whether this holds true for internships/co-ops, but regardless, this staggering reality underscores the vital importance of connecting with others. 

I have also worked really hard to distinguish myself from other students in terms of what I am learning- I have taken every opportunity I have come across to integrate artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computational skills into my growth. As animal studies are being phased out in favor of in silico research and computational simulations, and as next generation sequencing (NGS) continues to result in exponential increases in data, computer science and data analysis skills  will become ever more essential for the biologist. I am prepared for tomorrow's research and discoveries!