![Arcuri in a rainforest.](/ebio/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/article-image/paulina_arcuri.jpg?itok=lKDy16qC)
I began my research career my freshman year at CU. For a while, I bounced between labs trying to figure out which held my interest and aligned with my career goals. At the time I was working in entomology labs sorting insects--a dream for many, just not me. I was not finding passion in my work. That was until I visited Ecuador for a study abroad program.
The second I set foot on the small island, Sumak Allpa, in the Ecuadorian Amazon, I felt at home. I was captured by the off-the-grid lifestyle the Amazon had to offer. Since then, I have been researching the rehabilitation of juvenile wooly monkeys living in a primate sanctuary and assessing their readiness for reintroduction into the wild.