Finding a passion so early in life can be difficult for many people, but for Natalie Spencer, it was as simple as joining a middle school club. Spencer, a senior at Fossil Ridge High School, fell in love with science in the sixth grade at Preston Middle School. After receiving a cheesy flyer in class, she decided to check out the Science Olympiad informational meeting to see if it was something she would want to do. “I sat in the back of the room, prepared to be uninterested,” Spencer said. It surprised her, however, when she found some of the events intriguing, and started to go to the meetings. At the practices, she made new friends and gained an appreciation for science that she never had before. “The more I learned, the more I knew I didn’t know and was curious to find out,” said Spencer.

So far, Spencer has taken six science classes at Fossil, including Anatomy, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, and Advanced Chemistry; though she still wishes she could have taken more. While Spencer is also an avid reader and member of the school’s marching band, science continues to be the one subject she can never learn enough about. Her favorite aspect is the fact that someone can never completely “master” science, and every discovery provides her with a new question. She said, “I’ve found curiosity and dedication to be the most important aspects to why I’ve been an active member for so long.”

This year, Spencer is competing in five events: Anatomy and Physiology, Fossils, Experimental Design, Green Generation, and Invasive Species. In the events she will be required to take a test, build something, or complete a lab involving information on each topic. Spencer has had great success in her events in the past, and she has been fortunate to go to the National Competition three times. Nationals, in her opinion, is the most fun as, “The team gets to celebrate how hard we’ve worked, while also competing against the top science students in the country.” Science Olympiad provides Spencer with exciting new ideas every day, and she does not know what she would do if she had decided not to participate seven years ago.

A favorite pastime of Spencer’s is to study for her events. She reads from textbooks, makes flashcards, and takes practice tests, as though she was studying for an actual class. Spencer really loves learning (and telling people) about random facts from the human body, whether they seem gross or not. She and her friend Alexa also enjoy making up raps for words they do not understand regarding anatomy.

Without Science Olympiad, Spencer would have never thought about a career in science, and now she cannot imagine her life going any other way. It has given her the opportunity to dabble in many fields, finding ones that are most definitely not for her and others that seem like a good fit. Spencer said, “Science Olympiad allowed me to do events like Anatomy, that went from an after school activity to a genuine passion for learning about the human body.”