Hannah Young is a sophomore at the University of Michigan (UM), where she majors in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology and minors in Spanish. Raised in Champion, MI, Hannah spent plenty of time hiking and riding bikes with her family in Van Riper State Park and throughout the Upper Peninsula. The CDL is Hannah’s first venture into conservation—one she found herself in after working with CDL founder Randy Swaty on a college paper which detailed the link between air quality in South Africa and apartheid sentiments. The socio-economic implications of conservation interest Hannah most, and alongside learning R with the CDL, she is looking at the intersection between wildfire effects on water supply and social vulnerability. Hannah recently joined another CDL member in a trip to Voyageurs National Park, where they confirmed the location of vernal pools, took water samples, and recorded the different plant and animal species present. Outside of her new position in conservation, Hannah is a lab assistant at the UM O’Shea lab, where she aids in the study of bipolar disorder by preparing reagents and lab materials. She is also part of the Marquette City Band and the UM Concert Band, in which she primarily plays the alto saxophone. Of the CDL she has to say, “You’re given opportunities to try new things outside of your comfort zone, and are met with support and patience. They politely answer ridiculous questions like, ‘how do I load data?’”