About Me
As my site name might suggest, my name (well, nickname) is Beppa. I earned my B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry with Honors from University of Illinois at Chicago in May 2021. I then went on to earn my M.Sc. in Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry at SIU Carbondale in December 2023. For many years, I paid the bills by legally slingin’ pills as a licensed/certified (ExCPT) pharmacy technician. I’m also Level 5 TEFL certified, helping me teach English both in Chicago, IL and Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras. Spring 2024, I started my PhD studying fungal cell morphology at Virginia Tech, and it is where my lovely partner Alex, sweet ball python Kirminas, and I are today!
My whole life I have been rather curious-natured, and it has led to my discovery and dedication to a range of rather eclectic hobbies and interests. These include more artsy hobbies, like photography, playing accordion, and sculpting, to more nerdy ones like video games, reading, and language learning. I also enjoy the great outdoors by hiking, bird watching, and IDing fungal species. In efforts to be well-rounded, I’ve also been trying to be a bit more sporty, leading me to get into rock and ice climbing, caving, and running (I ran my first half marathon May 2024). There’s probably a lot more that haven’t crossed my mind as I write this, but it’s ok, I’ll remember at 3am whilst trying to sleep.
