Hi everyone! My name is Katie Gorman, and I’m from Loveland, Ohio a town just outside of Cincinnati. I’ve lived there my whole life and I’ve always loved it. Loveland is nestled perfectly between the city and the rural part of Ohio. I could drive twenty minutes in one direction and end up downtown, or drive five minutes in the other direction and find myself in an empty field. This was the perfect location for me to grow up in because it fostered my love of both people and nature. A nature preserve not far from my house was my first teacher in the beauty of the environment and the never ending creativity of the city showed me the great capacity for art and compassion of people. Loveland also blessed me with an incredible high school, one where my teachers were greatly invested in me and the place where I found science to be my calling. I enrolled in a selective biotechnology course for two years and worked in the labs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital with a mentor on how to manipulate X-chromosome inactivation. I loved this type of research but it didn’t feel like where I was supposed to end up. I knew I was called to conservation and sustainability. The most important research I felt as though I could do was to aid in conservation efforts. My goal in any career that I may have is to help restore the broken relationship between humans and the environment.

There’s more to me though! I did a few different things in high school, such as running track, my biotechnology program, I had a job for two years, I did research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, National Honors Society, Link Crew where I was a senior mentor for the incoming freshman class, and I was a camp counselor. Some of the hobbies I have are reading, running, obsessing over one TV show at a time, and trying to go to as many concerts as possible. My favorite thing to do though, is to engage in any type of outdoor adventure. Camping and hiking are my two favorites, especially in new places where I am able to explore.

When it comes to learning, I think learning is half in the classroom and half outside of the classroom. I have to engage with others half the time when I learn, but the other half I must spend on my own, whether that is reading or studying or exploring to learn about new places. When I am sick, I watch documentaries in order to learn while I rest. I value learning as any way that we better our minds and bodies through new experiences and information.