West Orange High School Class of 2019 graduate and current senior at Princeton University Sessina Dani is completing a semester-long research project in Kenya.

Dani and her classmates have had some incredible experiences, beginning their trip at the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia. In the first six weeks, Sessina completed her first course in African mammal and ecosystem biology and second course in terrestrial paleoecology while at the Turkana Basin Institute’s Turkwel campus working on fossil record and geology projects.

During spring break, Dani and her fellow students backpacked Mt. Kenya and visited several sanctuaries and conservancies, including Ol Jogi, Ol Pejeta, Loisaba, El Karama, Suyian, and Mt. Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, where wildlife is protected, rescued, and rehabilitated.

Dani will complete a Genomics in the Wild course in Mpala and return to the states at the end of April.

“It’s been awesome and I’m super grateful that I get to spend my semester in the field seeing the coolest things I have ever seen,” Dani enthused.