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en: What’s life like as a Scripps student? Describe a typical day.
ID: During the school year, my days consisted of attending class (either on main campus or down at Scripps), studying, and then working on Semmens Lab research (in lab or remotely). One of my favorite places to study at Scripps was the Eckart Lounge because of the incredible views of the ocean and pier.
In the summertime, I was fortunate to be a part of programs where students lived on campus and could focus their time on research. A typical day then included going into the lab in the morning to start on the day’s work (usually compiling length data or writing/editing code in R), having lunch out on Hubbs Hall balcony with lab members, getting back to work in the afternoon, and then heading down to the beach for a run or swim.
en: Are there any role models or mentors who have helped you along the way?
ID: Yes, absolutely! I’m very grateful to have been part of the Semmens Lab. Over the past few years, I’ve met the most incredible people who have kindly been mentors to me. Brian Stock and Lynn Waterhouse, who are former graduate students of the lab, taught me to code and analyze results. They also offered advice for conference presentations and about graduate school. Dr. Semmens encouraged me to develop my quantitative skill set; this led me to taking extra math courses and completing independent study on Bayesian statistics, a statistics theory that interprets probability. Kerri Seger, who was a Scripps graduate student I met on the triathlon team, was an outstanding mentor to me at a time in college when I needed advice. I also found support through family and close friends. Lastly, to this day, I’m very appreciative of the mentorship I received in high school from teachers including Aimee Ricken, Amy Irwin, January King, Beverly Kanawi, Jen Mosley, and Carrie Burdict-Rutz.
en: What are some of the challenges you face as a student?
ID: While in school, I was a commuter to campus the last two years of my degree. So with that, I think there are some challenges with logistics and also health. Factoring in a long drive, traffic, and finding parking could sometimes compound on the fatigue and stress of a long day. Quite honestly though, mental health has been the biggest challenge I faced as a student and especially now post-graduation. It’s a time of immense uncertainty for me as I try to secure employment in my field and also pursue future graduate school opportunities. I trust in myself, however, to navigate this part of my life. I’m very thankful for the training, education, and relationships I’ve developed at Scripps because that foundation is invaluable.
en: What are your plans, post-Scripps?
ID: I absolutely intend to continue my education. Recently, I just applied to graduate programs in marine science and conservation. Career-wise, I hope to become a researcher at a respected institution who pioneers quantitative understanding of the population dynamics and spatial movement ecology of pelagic marine species.
You can find India on Facebook and Instagram.
– Arielle Amante
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