Let's talk. I'll start.

Ecologist. Woman. First generation. (Indian-) American. Hindu. These are merely a few of the labels that I and others ascribe to me. They can be empowering, inspiring, isolating, and uncomfortable, and affect one's life and career path in a multitude of ways. In this INSPIRE session, I will share with you some moments of my journey in science and the roles these labels have played in my lived experiences from primary education, through finding ecology, and now in my non-academic career as a laboratory manager and REU coordinator embedded in academia.