I was first introduced to mycology in 2011 when I randomly took a summer course about fungi at Mountain Lake Biological Station. From that point on, fungi have captivated my imagination and led me places I had never considered. Coincidentally, the following semester I took a class on developmental biology. Throughout the course, I kept wondering how developmental principles applied to mushroom formation (unsurprisingly, fungal development was never discussed). Fast forward a decade and I am studying mushroom development – all thanks to a random convergence of events.

Of course, it has not all been random, I have also actively shaped my path. After graduating with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Virginia (2013), I spent several years out of academia learning about fungi in my free time. I began publishing a blog (www.fungusfactfriday.com) and joined the Mycological Association of Washington, where I was the Newsletter Editor and frequent foray leader. Most of my knowledge of fungi comes from this time, thanks to papers and other resources freely published online, mycologists who spoke at club meetings, and guidance from fellow club members. This community helped me return to academia and I graduated with an M.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in early 2022, where I worked on mushroom development in Flammulina velutipes. I am now a second year Ph.D. student at Clark University working in David Hibbett’s lab studying mushroom evo-devo in Lentinus tigrinus. In my free time I continue to lead forays for Clark’s Mycology Club and other local organizations. I also serve as the webmaster for the MSA Student and Postdoc Section and as Steward for Clark’s newly organized graduate worker union.