Hi, everyone! My name is EJ Fields, and I am very excited to be a senior this year! I’m from Hazard, Kentucky, a small town of about 5,000 in Perry County.

Before coming to Gatton, I attended Hazard High School. I heard about Gatton in seventh grade from some friends thinking about applying, and it sounded like a perfect fit for me. I made it a personal goal of mine to gain admission, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Thus far, my academic and personal experiences at Gatton have been phenomenal and highly memorable. My time here has been one of immense growth. In the classroom, I have spent time taking on rigorous courses that align with my interests and others that have exposed me to new ways of solving problems, in and outside of the classroom. In my personal life, some fundamental beliefs I rarely questioned have been challenged in new and exciting ways I never thought possible.

I took part in the Genome Discovery and Exploration Program during my junior year, which gave me my first taste of research. During my time in the Genome Program, I discovered a novel microbacteriophage, a small virus particle that infects bacteria, and acquired valuable skills, including keeping proper laboratory journals and working with microscopic organisms. Genome also helped orient me in terms of what I wanted out of a research program and what I liked and didn’t like about certain kinds of research.

During my first semester, Cheryl, Gatton’s Academic Opportunities Coordinator, sent out an email notifying all juniors of a research opportunity in Barrow, Alaska, with Dr. Noah Ashley and Dr. Melanie Richter studying the circadian rhythms of two species of migratory songbird, the Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspur. I was immediately intrigued, as circadian rhythms had always interested me, and going to Alaska had always been a dream of mine. I applied and was fortunate enough to be one of two juniors selected to accompany Drs. Ashley and Richter for the summer field season. I had a wonderful time contributing to the research and loved every minute of it. It was also fascinating to be able to witness Nalukataq, the traditional Iñupiat festival that marks the end of a successful whaling trip. After this amazing experience, I plan to pursue further research opportunities in Dr. Ashley’s lab this year.

Aside from classes and research, another valuable experience during my junior year was study abroad. Over winter break, I participated in Gatton’s Costa Rica program with Dr. Martin Stone. While there, we patrolled the beaches of Playa Grande on the hunt for nesting sea turtles, hiked in the Talamanca Mountains pursuing research projects, my personal favorite, and experienced rustic resort life and the natural beauty of Corcovado National Park at Poor Man’s Paradise. This experience was amazing and eye-opening for me. It was a trip of many travel firsts for me, as I had never been on a plane, let alone out of the country, before Costa, and I wouldn’t trade the experience I had there for anything.

All in all, my experience at Gatton thus far has been extremely rewarding, and I’m very excited to make many more memories this year and to serve as an Avatar, but not the kind from a certain television show and subsequent M. Night Shyamalan live action adaptation.

EJ