Lila Magbilang is an Ocean Portal writing intern and undergraduate at UC Davis. She is majoring in Biology with a minor in Professional Writing. Growing up in San Francisco with the ocean in her backyard, marine ecosystems hold a special place in her heart. She is especially interested in ecology, conservation, and genetics, and works at the Genomic Variation Laboratory at UC Davis. Lila owes her love of biology to the science museums she grew up going to and is honored to be a part of the Smithsonian Office of Communications and Public Affairs. She hopes to continue making science accessible and engaging through further work as a science writer. Aside from writing, she enjoys hiking, camping, and scuba diving.