Salam (Greetings)! My name is Kathryn Hegarty, but you can call me Katy. I am 24 years old and hail from Providence, Rhode Island. Growing up In Rhode Island, I loved heading to the beach, visiting the RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) Art Museum and walking through Providence’s historic downtown with friends. In college, I left Rhode Island and headed to Massachusetts to study Biology and Hispanic Studies at Wheaton College. For my senior honors thesis, I studied the nesting preferences of the endangered northern diamondback terrapin (a terrapin is a type of turtle that lives in areas where fresh and salt water meet). Eager to use the techniques I acquired while studying the northern diamondback terrapin to improve conservation efforts for other endangered turtle species, I applied for and was fortunate to receive a U.S. Fulbright Research Grant to study the nesting behavior of green sea turtles in Terengganu, Malaysia. Currently, I am living in Terengganu Malaysia, where I'm working with turtles, researching the nesting behavior of the green sea turtle and exploring Malaysia. I am excited to share my adventures with you all and cannot wait to hear about your journeys through the school year!
