Hollis.

Hollis and me

Friends, I have a genuine question for you: how in the world is it June? Every single month in 2025 seems to go faster than the last. I cannot wrap my head around it already being summer. 

Recently, I celebrated a milestone for an intern in my lab. Hollis joined the lab through his high school's mentorship program, and he's been with us for the last two years. In that time, Hollis has definitely grown - he has worked on three different projects, become the best Pluteus Finder I've ever known, and even helped me design a method for separating tiny scallops from the rest of a plankton sample. More recently, I got to teach Hollis how to extract DNA from larvae. He's become an integral part of the team. 

Every year, the mentors and mentees gather for a Mentorship Luncheon at Hollis's school to share what they have achieved together. I took the ferry to the Vineyard and then caught a ride with another mentor to the school. The Luncheon is a really meaningful event. Each mentor-mentee pair stands up to tell the story of the work they've done together. It's great to hear about the learning experiences the students have had, and I love seeing the relationships that have developed between them and their mentors. 

Hollis means a lot to me. After two years, he's more than just an intern. I look forward to seeing him grow and find his path through high school, college, and beyond!