When Mary Algeo was a baby in New Hampshire, her family used to go to a nearby farm for breakfast. There is a photo of her dad holding her up next to a dairy cow. From that day, he always knew she would do something with animals, he says. And doing something with animals she does. Mary is a UW microbiology major with a minor in wildlife and fisheries biology and management. She is studying the diseases that affect large animals and wildlife.

Her dad, who works with wildlife, is an inspiration to her: “My dad got his Ph.D. when I was about 10, and so I got to sit there and watch his dissertation presentation. It was great, and it really inspired me. Higher education is super important to me.”

Her mom also inspires her. Her mom is a schoolteacher who was originally from the Philippines: “She actually taught at my school when I was a kid. It was great.”

And her high school science teacher inspired her: “His name was Mr. Morier, and he was my anatomy and physiology teacher. I was going into vet medicine, and so he really encouraged that. He always made me fight harder for what I wanted every day.”

Mary is applying to vet schools and wants to get her Ph.D. and do research. “In ten years, I hope to be helping on research that would improve health—in terms of people and animals—keeping your animals healthy and also you healthy at the same time,” she says. She has been helped along the way by scholarships—a Farm Bureau scholarship and those that are used to fulfill the Brown and Gold Commitment, which benefits out-of-state students like Mary.