It’s nice to meet you.

Ava (in a nutshell)

I moved to Colorado in my senior year of high school and have loved this state from the get-go. Like many people in natural resources, I spent many of my formative years hiking, backpacking, and camping in many of the public lands and natural heritage sites located across the U.S. In particular, growing up near the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge located in southeastern Oklahoma, that love for protecting our natural environment became a passion project. That love only grew when one day on a hike, I mimicked an elk calf and surprised both myself, my step-father, and the elk calf when the call sounded so similar. I snapped the photo on the right just seconds later. After flipping through a Natural Geographic magazine, only a few months after, and discovering the job title "Wildlife Biologist,"  I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life working with wildlife.

At the time of writing this, I’m reaching a transitional period in my career. Having graduated with my BSc in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (Wildlife Concentration) from Colorado State University in December 2023, I am now navigating the world of being a newly minted wildlife professional. This career can be difficult at times, but I’m excited to see the possibilities that open up to me as I only become more rooted in this science and career. Interested in the previous opportunities I’ve been a part of? Check out my CV, below.

CV

FAQs

  • I started my education journey at Pikes Peak State College located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After 2 years of knocking out gen-ed classes, I transferred to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. I finished with my Bachelor’s of Science on December 17th, 2023 in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (Wildlife Concentration).

  • The one thing that remains consistent in my professional goals, is that I want to be involved in interdisciplinary, multi-taxa, community-level projects. I like keeping my interests broad because I find that 1) I enjoy ever-changing/adaptable work environments and 2) this is how real biological functions work—nothing is separate and everything feeds into each other.

  • As you might can tell from my website, I love to write. Coffee (I roast my own coffee beans and I'm very, very proud of it), painting (though I'm mostly just good at recreating Claude Monet's impressionisms), soccer (I’m half Brazilian, so it's practically a law to be a fan) and the month of October (it has the best transition into fall) are also my jam.

  • I’m a diverse gal when it comes to movies. I love a good rom-com every now and then (Crazy Stupid Love is a seriously underrated movie). Soul is my favorite Disney/Animated movie and makes me weep every time I see it. And oh! Knives Out, obviously.

    Wanna see me pretend to be a film bro? Follow me on letterboxd, here.

    I used to not be a huge TV fan, but since graduating I’ve been binging my way through so many popular series. Top shows definitely go to Fleabag, The Empress, Love Island (only the British version), Narcos, and The Last of Us.

    Books, for me, are a lot more specific. East of Eden by John Steinbeck is my holy grail. Favorite author!