Christina received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Montclair State University, where she participated in multiple field research projects. These projects included working with Dr. Dolcemascolo, who was conducting surveys and assessing biodiversity indices of reptiles and amphibians at the New Jersey School of Conservation. Furthermore, she has traveled along the entirety of New Jersey in order to capture and band local American kestrels for a comprehensive study on their migration patterns and birthrates, collected samples of Atlantic sea nettle polyps from man-made structures, and assessed disease status of wood frog tadpoles, under the supervision of Dr. John Smallwood, Dr. Paul Bologna, and Dr. Lisa Hazard, respectively. Finally, she conducted a small study on the island of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, under the supervision of Dr. Paul Bologna. This study was part of a longer project tracking population biology of the black sea urchin. This required surveying reef flats using transects and measuring test diameter of over 600 urchins; as well as statistical analysis, including density, distribution, and biomass. During her 4 years of field research, she worked with multiple sick populations, all of which increased her desire to pursue a Ph.D. degree focusing on immunology and infectious diseases at Rutgers School of Graduate Studies- Health Science Campus. Specifically, her interest in parasitic infection lead to her decision to join Dr. Siracusa’s lab, where she is currently studying the type 2 immune response in the context of parasitic infection and allergic disorder. After completing her training, she looks forward to returning to the field and applying these new learned techniques.