UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
As a home-schooled student from kindergarten through grade 12 in the Boston, Dallas and Atlanta areas, Eman Khwaja felt empowered to invest in her education outside of traditional classrooms. Programs and volunteer work at zoos, aquariums, nature centers and other outdoor venues were key elements of her education, and they helped the Randolph woman decide to pursue a career studying marine biology and animal behavior.
“My goal has been to become a marine biologist since I was 5 years old,” said the University of Rhode Island graduate student, who completed high school two years early and earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Agnes Scott College in Georgia. “I discovered I was really interested in behavior, which is why I studied neuroscience, and now I’m applying that knowledge to the behavior of fishes.”