During my undergraduate education at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, I began my research career by developing a way to 3D print ceramic bone implants for patients with bone cancer. During this research, my team and I were able to implant four different dogs with our prosthetic, saving them from amputation. This work was incredibly rewarding, and it quickly spiked my interest in polymer research. This interest only grew while I did an internship with Tolmar, Inc., where I learned more intimately the fundamentals of polymer synthesis and analysis. By this time, I had met two alumni of the PSE program, one at my internship and one as a professor at CSU, who said many great things about PSE. Naturally, I began to wonder if graduate school was the right path for me, and I was happy to learn about the thorough but streamlined way that PSE approaches their graduate studies. Specifically, I was happy to learn that the program structure allows us budding researchers to take a year and learn the fundamentals of polymer science through coursework, then directly apply them to research, all while providing the means to collaborate with people from a wide range of educational backgrounds. This structure has proven to be as valuable as I expected, as being able to take the time to properly understand polymer science has led me to not only feel comfortable with my own research, but also know how to tackle problems and ask the right questions. This structure is only possible with the generous support of the many people who give to our program, to whom I am incredibly grateful. My research, under the direction of Dr. Greg Tew and Dr. James Watkins, currently focuses on the synthesis and applications of ultra-large bottlebrush block copolymers, including self-assembled nanostructures for the creation of porous materials for use in energy storage, among others. This project has seen multiple publications already, but I aim to expand upon it by 3D printing and finding more sustainable chemical feedstocks for these materials in the aim of creating energy-dense materials as the world begins to shift from fossil fuels. The support and sense of community here at UMass, partially thanks to the financial support our donors provide, has given me a powerful sense of purpose and excites me for the research that is to come in this vast field.