The SOU Biology Department provides an individualized educational experience that empowers every student to identify and pursue their career aspirations in the life sciences. Guided by national standards, including AAAS Vision and Change, our teaching practices and course curricula enable students to build foundational knowledge and develop transferable skills essential for diverse career paths in biology, biomedical sciences, and conservation ecology. Students work directly with faculty members to conduct hands-on research that serves our community. Through projects spanning molecular and cellular biology, to plant and animal physiology, to organismal behavior and evolutionary ecology, our research breadth ensures that students have an equal opportunity to pursue their unique interests. By broadening access to research and education within the biological sciences, we aim to reduce inequities in the STEM workforce and prepare graduates to address biological challenges in the region and beyond.