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Michael came to Loyola as an undeclared major, having no idea what he wanted to study. At Loyola, he found his path and began studying spiders. He is now one of 90 Gates Cambridge scholars in 2017 and will start Ph.D. research in zoology at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the functional role of spiders in Southeast Asian oil palm plantations. He will examine how plantation management techniques affect overall spider biodiversity and will also be a member of the Insect Ecology Group in the Department of Zoology

“My Jesuit education instilled in me the need to link my research to environmental and social justice. I know that this, in particular, contributed to me successfully obtaining a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.”