Ava Gillery is a rising junior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville majoring in Civil Engineering with a focus in Environmental Engineering. Having moved from the south to midwest America, she has experienced first-hand the difference in quality of both the soil and water. This guided her interest to work domestically and abroad in soil and water testing in the future in an effort to make them safe and sustainable for everyone. Through the Community Oriented Digital Engagement Scholars (CODES) program at SIUE, she has had the chance to start on this goal when partnering with the Jackie Joyner Kersee Food and Nutrition Center (JJK-FAN). This was through Ava’s soil research where she studied phytoremediation and how it could help with the lead-contaminated soil surrounding JJK-FAN’s school campus. Beyond academics, Ava is a fan of concerts, tattoos and travel and always has at least one of each planned within the next year.