In 2019, I graduated from St. Luke’s School in New Canaan CT with 70 other students. This small environment led me to a liberal arts college in Ohio, Kenyon College. During my time at Kenyon College, I worked with Dr. Yutan Getzler who is an alum of Dr. Geoff Coates’ group at Cornell. This was my first introduction to polymers. I spent a lot of time synthesizing monomers and discussing polymerization and sustainability in group meetings. I was fortunate enough to spend a summer working with Dr. Anne McNeil at the University of Michigan where I was further exposed to polymers. These experiences led me to graduate school to pursue a PhD after finishing my undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Kenyon College. After being primarily exposed to the chemical side of polymers, I knew I wanted to explore a more interdisciplinary program at the graduate level. Given my experiences with small, tight knit programs from high school to college, I also knew I wanted to attend a program that was on the smaller side. I chose PSE to be exposed to more disciplines and ways of thought as well as to have a tight knit community. Through my undergraduate experiences, I developed an interest in sustainable materials and sustainable material design. After my first semester with PSE in fall of 2023, I joined Dr. Reika Katsumata’s group to work on the synthesis of a versatile additive using dynamic bonds for a reprocessible polymer network. I have only just begun the synthesis work but I have already been exposed to so much more than I would have in a pure chemistry program. I am so excited to use my newfound engineering and physics skill sets to study material properties and improve material design.