I entered the CRM program in 2002 after a few years working as a natural resource technician and chemist for the Environmental Quality Control (EQC) division of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). The EQC division is responsible for monitoring the state’s lakes, rivers, and streams and the majority of my time was spent preparing and analyzing lake, river, stream, sediment, and fish samples throughout the state for metals. Since joining the program, I have worked with Dr. Reide Corbett on a project looking at groundwater/surface water interactions in the Gulf of Mexico in the region adjacent to the Mississippi River delta. This research began in January of 2003 and included six 4-day cruises aboard the R.V. Pelican between October 2003 and May 2004. For a more detailed description of the project, please check our website at http://core.ecu.edu/geology/corbettd/GoM_groundwater.htm. I presented some preliminary data from this research at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) conference in December of 2004 in San Francisco and plan to spend the next year or so completing work on this project and preparing papers for publication. In the summer of 2004, I worked as an intern with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) at the district office in Raleigh, NC. I worked in the groundwater section primarily on a project to update the hydrogeologic framework (geology, hydrology, and geochemistry) of the coastal plains of North and South Carolina. I am currently wrapping up the required coursework for the program and hope to graduate within the next two years.