Well, first of all, I'm not from around here as you might guess if given the opportunity to hear my so called accent. Actually, I am from a suburb of Detroit, Mi., called Dearborn. It's a pretty well known little city due to the popularity of Henry Ford and the international Ford plant that is centrally located with in the city. I have left behind nearly everything I grew accustomed to in MI, including my beloved parents, a sister and a brother. I owe a lot to my parents. They have made everything I am doing now possible. There is a lot I miss about Michigan........the rude people, the run down, yet cultural atmosphere of Detroit, the high relative humidy, the snow and ice storms, the pot holes in the roads, and so so much more.......Just Kidding. What I really miss is my family, my friends, and Detroit sporting events! GO RED WINGS= REPEAT!! I know that's kind of jumping the gun since it isn't even Hockey season yet, but I might not update this page until the season is over. Speaking of updating this page, I will be forced to do that this coming July since I will be taking on a different last name. I will be getting married July 24, 1998 and so I'll have to get used to my last name being Szabo (prononced ZABO). Anyhow, that's another story in itself entailing nine years of dating while at the same time growing up and changing. I know, that's a long time, but sometimes things come easy to people. For me, being with Steve has always been easy. We're really compatable......we just work!
College Years!!!
I thought High School flew by, well undergrad really flew by. I attended the University of Michigan where I received a B.S. in Environmental Science in August 1997. After the realization set in that undergrad was truely over, I found myself in a slight predictiment. Was I ready to face the 6 a.m. alarm that came along with the harsh reality of the working world, or could I withstand another two years of school and all of the stress that would come along with getting my masters? I decided to apply to several graduate programs just to see what I was dealing with. So, that brings up how I got to TCU and why I selected this program. Well, first, the program was very similar to U of M's program. Therefore, I was able to transfer in without having to make-up any courses. Secondly, TCU offered me a great package to attend the university. They take care of all of my school expenses and allow me a little extra cash for groceries. In return, I teach 2 Geology labs a week. Seemed like a fair offer, so I picked up and moved to Texas. So far, I like Fort Worth. I don't think I will remain in Texas after I get my M.S. though, simply because my family and friends are just too far away. I see myself somewhere on the East coast, possibly in North Carolina.
Projects......A Thesis, Yikes!!!!
Well, I've only been here a month and that means that I have absolutely no idea what I plan on writing my thesis on. What I can tell you is that I have done some research in the past. At Uof M I studied possible causes for the contamination of the Rouge River Watershed. This reasearch took about 8 months and was made possible by a research grant at the time. Most of the research involved kick samples of the sediment. The major part of the project included the identification of the benthic macroinvertebrates in the sediment samples. The bottom line, one can tell the extent of pollution by the presence or absence of certain benthics in the samples. The benthics are at the bottom of the food chain.........not to make it too complicated. Anyhow the research benefited my understanding of benthics, combined sewer overflows, and non-point sources etc. This summer I had a really interesting experience. I did an internship for a township back in MI. I worked as a water quality analyst and I examined 23 different lakes with in that township. I had a great time and I learned a lot about what it is like to do field work. I also know quite a bit more about what effects the quality of water in a lake. I kind of miss that job!!! My research partner was a lot of fun. I am still not sure what kind of job I will have when I finish graduate school, but hope fully it is a good paying one after all of this work!!!!!
