Skills
Flexibility / Adaptability
During my experiences abroad, I participated in several scientific scuba diving projects, where adaptability was essential. In the field, things rarely go perfectly: equipment can malfunction, weather conditions can change suddenly, and dive sites often need to be switched at the last minute. One time, the buckle on my weight belt broke just before a dive. Instead of canceling the dive, I used a hair tie to temporarily hold it together, allowing me to safely continue with the research. On other occasions, I had to quickly adjust dive plans when visibility dropped or currents changed direction. These moments taught me to stay calm under pressure, problem-solve with the tools available, and adapt my approach to ensure both safety and success. Through these experiences, I’ve learned that flexibility and adaptability are key traits not only for scuba diving but also for conducting field research and collaborating effectively in unpredictable environments.
Communication Skills
During my research in the Galápagos, I worked on my undergraduate honors thesis, which pushed me to improve both my written and verbal communication skills. The goal was to publish my thesis in the Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. Writing a manuscript for publication was completely new to me and unlike anything I had ever learned in school. It was a huge learning curve, especially since writing has always been my weakest skill. To get better, I spent hours reading published papers to understand how scientists structured their work and what my final product should look like. There were many moments where I felt stuck and frustrated, but I kept going and was incredibly proud of the final manuscript. Looking back, I realize how much I grew as a scientific writer through that process.
My verbal communication skills also developed through presenting my research at multiple conferences. I learned how to adjust my explanations depending on who I was talking to, whether it was a room full of marine scientists or members of the general public. I even had the opportunity to present in Spanish, which was a whole different challenge since scientific Spanish is much harder than conversational Spanish. These experiences taught me how to communicate science clearly and confidently across languages and audiences.
Ability to Work with a Team
I’ve always been a very independent person, so learning how to work on a team has been a big part of my growth as a scientist. I realized pretty quickly that you simply can’t do everything on your own, and that you actually get much more done when everyone brings in their own skill set. That also means people come in with different opinions, so I’ve learned how important it is to clearly state our common goal so we can all move toward it together. I’ve worked with teams made up of scientists of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels, and it taught me when it’s my turn to step up and lead, and when I should step back and learn from others.
During one of my marine science internships, my task was to remove otoliths (ear stones) from the small fish we collected. A professor taught me the technique, and once I got the hang of it, I showed the rest of my team how to do it. After that, we worked together and dissected more than 300 fish. There is absolutely no way I could have done that by myself. It showed me how efficient and rewarding real teamwork can be, especially in science where collaboration is everything.
Cultural Awareness
It’s really easy to stay in your own bubble and only connect with people who share similar experiences because it feels comfortable. Traveling and doing research abroad pushed me out of that mindset and made me a lot more open-minded. Growing up as a Latina, people often put me into certain stereotypes, but I eventually realized I wasn’t immune to doing the same thing to other cultures. Traveling made that really obvious. It sounds corny, but when you go to different countries, you realize how much you actually have in common with people. When I went to Ecuador, everyone back home warned me about crime and made it sound scary, but I ended up meeting some of the kindest people I’ve ever known.
This experience changed how I approach my work as a scientist. Science is communicated in so many different ways depending on culture, background, and worldview, and now I try to see problems from perspectives other than my own. In my job, I interact with a lot of people in the community, and instead of just focusing on the task, I find myself genuinely curious about their stories and how their experiences shape the environment we study.