​From the very first moment that I studied genetics and evolution in high school I was indefinitely captured by biology which led me to pursue an undergraduate degree in Biology. After my graduation, I realized that in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the subjects I studied, I needed to zoom out. At the time, I stumbled across a quote from Ortega y Gasset while going through my mother’s many psychology books, “Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia” (I am myself and my circumstances). Applying that to my field meant connecting my background education on living organisms with the understanding of the processes operating in the physical/abiotic world in which they are living in, as well as their interplay. Adding to that, I grew up in a coastal area, which undoubtedly influenced me to choose the marine realm for my masters. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to join the Coral Symbiomics Lab as a VSRP to develop my master’s thesis.