Natalie Shulstad, Bay Port 2019, is a Research Assistant and Lab Manager at the Lab of Aleena Garner, within the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School. After high school, Natalie studied Neurobiology and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Letters and Science Honors Program. 

As a scientist, she gets to do something new every single day. “There are days I do exactly what I imagined as a child a scientist would be doing: at a lab bench, in a lab coat, doing science,” said Natalie. “Many of my days also consist of writing, coding, creating graphics in Illustrator, taking pictures, and designing tools for my experiments.”

The lab Natalie works in studies auditory and visual perception and how memories affect the way we process sensory information. Natalie enjoys that every week something new is uncovered about how the brain works, and that each discovery reveals even more questions. 

Natalie says she had great role models and mentors at Bay Port High School. “Mr. Fitz and Ms. Cooper taught me strong logic skills,” said Natalie. “Ms. Gruendemann helped me discover my love for the lab and for teaching others. Mrs. Quinn, HR, and Señor Nelson showed me a world beyond Green Bay, Wisconsin, while simultaneously teaching me how to think and write (in English and Spanish). Finally, my coaches, Mr. Jameson, Mrs. Shefchik, Mrs. Albanese, and Mr. Nuthals and my band directors, Mr. Appel, and Mrs. Zipperer, taught me perseverance and the importance of keeping hobbies. Each one of these people shaped the path I am on today.”