Early in my career I focused on getting every opportunity I could to work in marine mammal science from Santa Cruz, CA to Seattle, WA. These volunteer gigs led me to make connections that would guide and support my next move, back to the Monterey Bay area to research plastic pollution in graduate school. While completing my Masters in Science, I worked with NASA-Ames on projects using satellite imagery and data to investigate drought (very different from marine science), yet this experience strengthened my project management and data analysis skills. Today, I am happy to be included in the WildHub community as a Conservation Catalylist and look forward to continued opportunities in community building and skills building.