About Me

When I introduce myself to students, I generally start with, "Hi! My name is Ms. Trisha and I LOVE BUGS." My passion is sharing my love of insects with students and adults both. I graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) in 2013 with an entomology degree. But, that isn't where my bug journey started... It started when I was gifted my first insect field guide at the age of 3. I remember learning to read with that insect guide. I would carry it around and more than once I accidentally left it outside. That guide was worn and loved. My mother had to tape pages back in. When I was 9, I told my teacher that I was going to be an "insectologist" when I grew up. I decided that bugs were my passion and all I wanted to do was study them.

I went to Michigan State University for my entomology degree and worked in a variety of labs and the AJ Cook Arthropod insect collection while I was studying. I was lucky enough to have been hired as a lab manager at MSU. I ran a research lab while teaching undergrads for 3 years until the lab dissolved when the PI retired. I started Insectopia as a small business in Michigan and was excited when the owner of an insectarium saw my YouTube videos and offered me a full time job educating about insects in Philadelphia. I left Michigan and worked at the Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion for 4 years creating educational content and handling live insects with students. There was a lot of good and some bad just like any job with a variety of personalities. If you would like to hear more about that story you can watch "BUG OUT" on Amazon. I resigned my position and I happily run my own small business creating educational programs and sharing my love of insects with students, parents, and the public. 

I love what I do and I wouldn't have it any other way.