Gabe is a second year Ph.D. student in Sean Moore's lab. He is one of the Social Chairs for GBMES, coordinating social events that bring together the graduate students and faculty in the department to foster a sense of community and camaraderie. I went to Saint John's University in Minnesota where I majored in applied physics and math. I really enjoyed the experience I got at Saint John's, as a smaller school my classes were small so I got to know my professors well. I also got to study abroad and took classes in humanities and ethics which helped frame some of the bigger questions about what I wanted to do. There is no engineering program at Saint John's, so I opted to study physics instead, but this ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made. Studying physics was difficult, frustrating at times, but the core principles I learned and the methodology of breaking down a complex system into a simplified model that recapitulates the laws that govern the system have proven to be very useful as I have transitioned to studying biological systems which are always very complicated. I study interactions between the host gut and the microbes that make up the gut microbiome, particularly focused on the host side. The gut microbiome is fascinating and in some ways functions as an additional organ in your body in the way it aids the host's nutrient uptake. It is the most bio-dense place that we know of in the world and for every human cell in your body, there are ~10 bacterial cells that call you home. Humans have been developing and evolving alongside our microbial neighbors since the dawn of time and it's exciting to finally have reached a time when technology allows us to make insights into their small world. After graduating from undergrad I ended up spending a year as a volunteer living in monasteries in India and Sri Lanka. I've always been an adventurous traveler, but that year was just on another level. South Asia is a very diverse place, super different from the culture I grew up in. I travelled extensively there, by myself and with friends and the whole experience really expanded my horizons and pushed me outside my comfort zone. In particular, traveling by train in Sri Lanka was a highlight of the year. There is an excellent rail system there which made it very easy to explore much of the country for pretty cheap.