CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It is snowing again, and I turn to look through the bus window as it slowly pulls into the final stop. I hide my face in my scarf, hoping to stop the cold air sneaking in. It has been almost six years since I moved to the Midwest from Taiwan, but I still cannot deal with winter and snow. Once off the bus, I follow footprints to the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory and push open the glass door.

As I put on my lab coat, I watch my teammates work and I think about how different we are, and yet how well we blend into a dynamic team. Our diversity is not just about skin color and cultural background. As our mentor, animal sciences professor Jan Novakofski, once said, our lab works like a wolf pack: We each have our individual strengths and roles, and we work together to maximize each person’s productivity and potential, contributing to the group’s overall success. Our differences – in character, age and experience – blend to create an unexpected chemistry.

Read more from NRES undergraduate Yi-Ying Tung via the Illinois News Bureau's website.