“In high school, I was convinced my future was in advocacy and law, and maybe one day working for an international organization like the U.N. or the World Bank. I had failed a math class and told myself that law meant I’d never have to think about numbers again. Then, at undergraduate orientation, I changed my major from history to biology.

I’m from Maryland, but my parents came to the United States from Ukraine in the 1990s. Being a child of immigrants is central to who I am and has framed my interest in policy and human rights. The last summer I spent in Ukraine was just before the war broke out. Watching the news was extremely difficult, pushing me to seek new experiences and reconsider what I wanted from my education and my life.

Since freshman year, I have taken a deep dive into everything college could offer, saying ‘yes’ to opportunities I wouldn’t have anticipated and discovering that the path I’m now on looks nothing like the one I imagined at 17. Learning about opportunities to study wildlife as an undergraduate researcher felt like a full-circle moment. I grew up going to the Smithsonian Zoo, always stopping at the birds, but somewhere along the way, I lost track of that passion, until I came to the U.

My biology journey started with plant field research (SRI), then a biology climate science lab, and eventually studying Utah wildlife. These experiences led me to bird banding research in Red Butte Canyon, where I worked alongside Ph.D. students from the Şekercioğlu Lab. Those quiet hours of hands-on learning helped me see my future more clearly. This led me to get involved with the Tracy Aviary, which changed everything. It provided me an opportunity to intern with them and continue research on avian ecology. I helped with bird counts at the Great Salt Lake, worked in bird exhibits and took an immersive course on Utah’s birds. This helped connect me to other organizations like Great Salt Lake Audubon, Hawk Watch and the Division of Wildlife Resources, where I could continue making an impact doing things I love.

Conserving wildlife isn’t just the work of biologists. It requires communities that value nature and policies that protect it. I started a U Wildlife Society chapter (and club) and @uofuwildlife to help U students get involved in wildlife and conservation work, even if they aren’t biology or science majors. In many ways, conservation biology brings together my long-standing interests in advocacy and community-building. It’s not so different from my earlier passion for the UN and human rights; it’s simply advocacy for a broader, interconnected world.

Outside of biology and birds, I’ve been involved in the campus community all four years, as a U ambassador and on the Union Programming Council. Planning Crimson Nights and helping make the mobile Feed U Pantry truck a reality were real highlights. Each of these roles gave me the chance to give back, mentor others and help shape the student experience.

I’ve lived many experiences in college, many different lives. Thanks to the U, I have a path in wildlife conservation and an eventual Ph.D. in biology. But I’ll take a moment to breathe, explore, work and further define my path before entering graduate school. It’s a long life, and I know I have time to find what my mark on the world will become.”

— Gaby Karakcheyeva, Class of 2026, B.S. in Biology, Honors College and College of Science, from Maryland