Hi ladies! My name is Sarah Binkerd and I am a junior majoring in Biology with the life‐long dream of going to Veterinary school. I am from Valrico, Florida, where I graduated from Bloomingdale High School with a 6.0 GPA. I love my little hometown, and all the friends I still have back home! My favorite class (so far) that I took was Ecology, taught by Professor Gregg Klowden. Ecology is such a fascinating science, and really breaks down how and why populations and environments work! It was so much fun learning about the animals and plants of the world! Professor Klowden was by far my favorite professor, because he brought real‐world experience into the classroom, as he himself has ecological field work. He explained the theories in the book with clarity and detail, backing his lectures with pictures and videos he captured while in the field! It was the first time a Professor actually had proven that what you learn in class what applicable to them, and the world. I decided to become a mentor because I had a professor tell me to give up, and I almost let him bring me down. I never want that to happen to anyone! I hope that my mentees can learn from my experience, and come to me if they ever face difficulties within their major. We are all such smart and talented women, and we should never be allowed to forget that! In my spare time, I love to be active. I go to the gym every day (spin class and running are my favorite!), explore the outdoors, fish, etc. I volunteer at Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge and the Sanford SPCA. I am also a Resident Assistant, which takes up most of my free time. Words of advice for the GEMS freshman students: Never, ever, ever, forget your dreams. You can do absolutely anything you set your mind to!