I began my academic career at CSI as an allied health major. However, after completing introductory microbiology, I knew that I wanted to be a scientist and I changed my major to biology. The biology program at CSI offered me the skills I needed to succeed at a four-year university and beyond. Small class sizes and motivating professors enabled me to academically excel in both the laboratory and the lecture. After CSI, I transferred to Idaho State University (ISU) to complete a bachelor’s degree in microbiology. Transferring from CSI to ISU was simple since the biology program at CSI is recognized as the first two years of a bachelor’s degree at half the cost. Starting at a university, I noticed that the professors had less time for their students since they also focused on research. Therefore, in comparison to my peers who had begun their studies at a university, I felt better prepared. After ISU, I went on to earn a master’s degree in molecular medicine at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany. The Charité is the largest university hospital in Europe and is also where one of the founding fathers of microbiology, Robert Koch, once worked. More than half of all German Nobel Prize winners in Physiology or Medicine researched at the Charité. Today, I am still at the Charité and completing my PhD as a molecular biologist for human medicine and disease. CSI was an important chapter in my academic career. I am certain that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the skills and experiences, I gained from the CSI biology program.