Blood suckers, creepy crawlers, arthropods – whatever you call them, insects are a part of life. And you may loathe them, but Sabrina Leisinger can’t get enough.
If the bug jewelry around her neck or newly purchased stuffed animal mosquito beside her bed doesn’t give it away, she is an entomology student.
“I’ve always played with ‘em,” she said about worms and critters elementary school children can easily be found toying with. But her love for bugs didn’t start on the playground.
Before changing her major to her newfound passion, Leisinger started off studying mechanical engineering. After switching to biology and later Japanese, she took Principles of Entomology as an elective fulfillment. From there, her adoration for entomology spread like the parasites she’d soon be researching.
“More often than not, people fall into it and find entomology,” she said. “But then they fall in love because it’s amazing.”
Her general goals in the field, however, haven’t altered much. She originally wanted to be a doctor, but she found her true forte is research.
From running from clouds of mosquitos and picking dung beatles off of droppings in Paraguay to assisting repellent research in Thailand, Leisinger’s dedication will pay off in her future career.
She may have dropped her dreams of medical school, but she still plans to help people. She hopes her current senior thesis will prevent pests in agricultural products, and her ideal job is to work for the Center for Disease Control or the World Health Organization.
But for now, in the next few years, the 22-year-old aspires to attend out-of-state programs for graduate school and will pursue the highest degree in order to carry out her dreams of independent research.
And just like research and her switch to entomology, there is always trial and error. But the thrill of learning is half the fun, she said. Hard work is the other half.
That’s what she plans to do with her PhD.
“(My Thailand internship) was partially putting myself out there, making myself know, and dumb luck. But opportunities don’t just come to you. You have to jump on it or you lose it,” she said.