“Graduating with a biology degree from the University of Utah is a milestone that extends well beyond learning about the science of life. Initially, I aimed for a career in medicine, hoping it would solve my family’s financial stresses. However, learning motivated by a paycheck rather than curiosity eventually led to a cycle of self-isolation and substance abuse.
My own recovery began with involvement in Recovery at the U (RU) and the Sober Club, where I continue to serve in hopes of supporting other students. It took these challenges and significant self-reflection to realize my true motivation wasn’t in a high-paying medical field, but in understanding ecosystems and how they are impacted by our changing environment.
Academically, my ‘aha!’ moment happened in Biology 1620. Professors Jim Ehleringer and Amanda Hoepfner shifted my focus from medicine to the ecosystem, motivating me to find a lab where I could explore how biological systems function under the pressure of a warming climate. I joined professor Luiza Aparecido’s lab, the perfect complement to my learning. My favorite memory is conducting fieldwork along the Paria River, waking up at 2 a.m. in the desert sucks, but hiking under a canopy of brilliant stars to collect leaf samples made me feel like a ‘real’ scientist for the first time.
Through the Wilkes Scholar Program and UROP, I researched water-use strategies in riparian zones, discovering that our native species are far more conservative in their survival tactics than invasive ones. Presenting this work at the Wilkes Climate Summit and preparing for the 2026 Ecological Society of America conference has validated every late shift at the café at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and every drill weekend with the Army.
To my freshman self: Stop procrastinating; the things that overwhelm you will only snowball. Most importantly, make time to talk to people and find community. There is success on the other side of struggle, but you don’t have to get there alone.
After a gap year to reset, I look forward to pursuing a doctorate in ecology to help my generation solve the climate injustices we’ve inherited.”
— Brandt Winn, Class of 2026, B.S. in Biology, College of Science