Who Am I?

Well, I’m someone deeply passionate about sport, science, research and teaching. Together, these passions have helped shape me into the person I am today. As a little guy, I was curious, energetic and obsessed with the beauty of the natural world. The house where I grew up–a cozy home nestled in the quiet corner of a cul-de-sac in Kamloops, BC–was the perfect spot for cultivating my curiosity. I vividly remember spending my days chasing bugs down in the thick carpet of grass in our backyard. I would lift up rocks and watch the black rain beetles scurry to the shadows of their next hiding place. Tupperware containers held insects I captured. I observed these little critters for some time before I was off to my new adventure: finding another unique bug.

The older I got, the greater my passion for science grew. My father–a high school biology teacher–taught me about birds and the ecology of Kamloops. He would take me on trips to Vancouver with his Grade 12 Biology Honours class. There, we would visit Science World and study marine species along the coast.

Throughout high school I played soccer with the regional team, where I would travel all over BC for games. My fascination for science, and development in soccer, brought me to TRU where I signed with the TRU MSOC Team in 2019 and began my journey as a BSc student at Thompson Rivers University in 2020. 2022 was a special year: I was a part of the TRU Men’s soccer team that won the university’s first ever USports National Championship.

In the summer of 2025, I was fortunate enough to study mountain chickadees alongside Dr. Matt Reudink and his MSc candidate Lorena Muñoz. We hiked for hours up and down the steep terrain in Kenna Cartwright Nature Park. The experience came with ups and downs, but through it all, I learned to become a better person, researcher and scientist. I cannot wait for what the future holds.

Photos from summer 2025 field work at Kenna Cartwright Nature Park in Kamloops, British Columbia. Left: me putting up a trail cam on a neighbouring tree to see what is predating on the mountain chickadee eggs in the nest near by. Middle: Lorena handling a mountain chickadee nestling. Right: a view of Kamloops from Kenna Cartwright Nature Park at the beginning of summer.


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