Born and raised on the island of Guam, Laura Gombar has been fascinated with Guam’s native flora and fauna all her life. From a young age she has been made aware of the introduction of invasive species, which caused many of the island’s native species to become critically endangered or extirpated. This unfortunate event inspired her to become a conservation biologist in hopes of one day reintroducing native species back to the island. To begin pursuing her passion, Laura has decided to obtain her degree in BS Biology at the University of Guam. She will begin her final academic year this coming fall semester before attending graduate school. She has conducted research with the NSF INCLUDES and Guam EPSCoR SRE Programs. Some of her research areas include native flora phenology use for watershed restoration and coral genetics and phylogeny construction using DNA sequences. Some of her hobbies include exploring the island of Guam through hiking and free diving with friends and family, traveling to neighboring islands, and meeting new people.