Zuri Gagnon attended WYSE in 2012. She has since studied at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC) and graduated from George Mason University (GMU) with a BS in Biology. Her research interests include conservation medicine and wildlife endocrinology. As a student, Zuri was a part of many student organizations involved in environmental sustainability, such as the Green Patriots and the Patriot Green Fund. She also interned at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute as an Elephant Health and Conservation Research intern, where she categorized clinical problems encountered in zoo elephants from historical health records and learned non-invasive hormone monitoring techniques. Then, she completed an undergraduate research project where she investigated the behavioral patterns of pregnant red pandas to determine if parturition can be predicted via observations. Now, Zuri is starting a new chapter of her life at GMU as she pursues her Master’s in Environmental Science and Policy.