I’m so excited that I can finally announce that I was selected as a 2019 recipient of the McKnight Scholar Award, an annual award for junior faculty in the field of neuroscience. This award will fund two of our exciting projects in the area of neural regeneration. The McKnight Foundation is a family foundation (founded by William and Maude McKnight) based in the midwest that “advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.” The foundation funds work in a diverse set of areas, including education, the arts, the environment, AND neuroscience! I am the first McKnight Scholar Award recipient from the University of Georgia, so this award is exciting and also a huge honor. I was so grateful to be considered as a finalist; this gave me the opportunity to discuss our work with the esteemed members of the McKnight Scholar Awards Selection Committee. They asked wonderful and thought-provoking questions and their feedback was incredibly valuable. I’m looking forward to the opportunities that this Award will give to me and the lab, moving forward.