I am a freelance writer and alum of the UCSC Science Communication Program. Before becoming a science writer, I spent time in Europe and New York living abroad and going to school. Eventually, I returned to my home state of California to study the natural sciences. With initially broad interests, I became focused on entomological research primarily in agriculture. Agriculture is a fascinating field where a mesh of disciplines come together to interact. There I supported the development of methods for breeding crops tolerant to insects, identifying mites and studying their use for biological control, pollination biology, and on occasion working on native bumble bee side projects.

I have written for many different outlets from nonprofits, universities, digital magazines to radio, on a range of subjects from biotech and agriculture to public health, and a little bit of everything in between.

My resume and more information can be found on LinkedIn. Most people know and call me by my middle name, Katrina. I speak Spanish, German, and Brazilian Portuguese. I love to travel and cook and spend time exploring the outdoors with friends and family. Since 2020, I have spent time learning daily about Bitcoin and passionate about this ethical approach to money.

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There are certainly many modes of inspiration that brought me to science and eventually science writing. It is hard to restrict a passion for science to just one branch.

I have been inspired by my family as well. I spent a good amount of time outdoors growing up in Northern California. My grandfather was a geologist who was always in the Sierras doing fieldwork and performing surveys. He once mapped rebel-occupied, contested territory in Morocco, before settling later in life in Northern California. He took his family around the world with him as a geologist. As a kid, my grandfather, with his field hats and work truck full of ropes, measuring tapes, theodolite, and other tools, to me, was a true explorer.

My grandmother gave me an appreciation for nature and storytelling. I would sit down with her and attempt to paint landscapes listening to her stories as a child in the Andes, and then try to convince the birds, deer, and bobcats to play with me in her backyard. A school trip to Effie Yaw, the nature center in Sacramento, first cemented my awe of the natural sciences. My mother would take me on trips to the San Francisco Exploratorium and the library. I would bring home stacks of books three feet high on dinosaurs and mummies and read them all in a day.  My father would share ideas for adventurous trips searching for fallen meteorites in the desert, true to his geological upbringing. During my early time spent in Europe as an adult, I saw a greater efficiency and use of natural resources, which finally encouraged me to pursue my curiosity about the planet and nature further. I think all of these experiences and more, is what led me down a path for appreciating science and nature, and eventually wanting to share that with others through storytelling.