Jackie Gerson is a PhD student in Ecology at Duke University and the director of Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and Science (GALS). This two-week program brings high school students from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM backpacking in Pisgah National Forest while teaching them hands-on, place-based science. When Jackie isn’t studying stream contaminants or leading backpacking trips, she can be found traveling, reading a good book, baking, or playing the harp.