The time has come for me to write a farewell as I finish up my research project. I came in without any idea what to expect from field work, just that it was going to be tiresome and I needed to remain flexible because a lot could go wrong. I am happy to say that everything worked out for the most part and I learned valuable lessons that I will be able to use later. Oftentimes, I had to go outside of my comfort-zone but I’m glad I did because I can say I’m no longer completely terrified of bees. I’m not going to be inspecting hives anytime soon but I can now walk next to a group of flowers with bees foraging instead of getting several feet away.

I am excited to see what results I will get this fall and to write up my Independent Study to get my findings out there. I am thankful for being able to have this experience and becoming familiar with a topic so important to our everyday lives. I wanted to take the time to thank my team for helping me along the way and being such great company. You have all been such an integral part of my I.S. and will surely be a continual source of support this upcoming year. I would also like to thank Matt and Laura for their valuable insight and encouragement. Here’s to a great senior year and a successful summer.

P.S. Elizabeth is posting this on my behalf since I am currently back home in Chicago and the page won’t let me post when I am outside Wooster’s VPN.

-Ashley Padilla