It is with much gratitude that I receive the Michael G. Scott Award. I largely owe my drive to succeed in the Fisheries program to all of the incredibly supportive, passionate, and knowledgeable professors and faculty. Being located in such a beautiful landscape and surrounded by so many opportunities to receive diverse hands-on experiences in natural settings has been instrumental to deepening my love for this field. I am so appreciative for the time spent outdoors during lab sessions and the wide variety of fisheries techniques that I was able to learn and utilize outside of a classroom setting. I will always remember how my professors so strongly wanted their students to succeed and would do anything within their power to provide the help and resources to make this happen.

While I received my degree with a Freshwater emphasis, I have developed a very solid appreciation for the marine side of the field and for this I almost entirely have Dr. Tim Mulligan to thank. His Ecology of Marine Fishes class combined with his palpable excitement and passion for the subject sparked a similar excitement in me that I did not previously realize existed. This, combined with the opportunities and connections to secure ever-valuable internships, led to me acquiring a position as a Fisheries Observer with Alaskan Observers. I am fortunate to have been stationed here in Humboldt so I can continue to immerse myself in the setting that helped cultivate my appreciation of the marine realm. At some point in the future I hope to have the opportunity to be involved with work on the rivers again, but for now I am going to savor the amazing experience of being at sea!

My sincerest thanks go out to the amazing staff at Humboldt and all of my hardworking, supportive peers.