Each year, the University of Illinois Homecoming Court brings together students from across campus who represent the diverse communities, interests, and accomplishments that make the university so special. This year, the School of Integrative Biology (IB) was represented by a student whose path to IB has been anything but ordinary. Fisher Houston, a senior in Integrative Biology Honors (IBH), took the time to chat with us about his experience as a member of the 2026 Homecoming Court and reflect on his time here at the University of Illinois.
1. What did being a member of this year’s Homecoming Court mean to you? How was your Homecoming experience, and what does it mean to represent Integrative Biology on the court?
I really enjoyed the diversity of backgrounds, disciplines, and areas of leadership represented on this year’s Homecoming Court, and I was honored to be a part of that by representing IB. It was so special to spend time getting to know students from fields different from my own, such as engineering and business, and connect with leaders in Greek life, sports, and the arts, as someone who’s mostly involved with leaders in environmental or sustainability organizations. As a group of twenty, we represented so many different aspects of campus life, culture, and achievement that I rarely get to appreciate all at once. I’m proud I made IB a part of that university-wide picture alongside all the amazing representatives from other fields. I was stoked to be the third person in a row from Deerfield, IL (my hometown) on the Homecoming Court, and I’m hopeful to kick off a similar three-peat of IB majors on the Court! It was an awesome experience to enjoy Homecoming Week festivities and connect with the campus community, alumni, and other students, an experience I think future IB students will enjoy just as much as I have.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what brought you to UIUC, particularly to IB?
I’m from Deerfield, Illinois, and I initially arrived at UIUC enrolled as an economics major. I worked as a tour guide at the Chicago Botanic Garden the summer before my freshman year, where I was constantly asked by patrons about my future, my interests, and what I wanted to do with my life. Reflecting on those questions as I walked around the garden between tours, I realized that I wanted to do something I genuinely enjoyed working hard at. I knew that, despite being decent at economics, I didn’t feel excited about it. I switched to political science during my first semester, but realized that was something I preferred learning about as a hobby rather than studying in preparation for a career. I was a little nervous about my lack of commitment to each major I tried; I felt like I was wasting precious time and opportunity without a clear path.
I kept thinking about it, exploring other interests, and taking new classes. Maybe it should have been more obvious, but I finally put together that I had loved working in a garden and that my favorite classes in high school were biology-related. I enrolled in IB 150 and MCB 150 during the same semester. During an IB 150 lecture, Dr. Clegg mentioned that an IBH information session would have free pizza. Having only attended for the pizza, I left convinced that IBH was the start of the academic path I’d been looking for. I’ve been indebted to Dr. Clegg for his promotion, and Professor Dalling for his pitch, ever since.
Looking back at my past interests and experiences, it makes sense to me that I love being a biologist, but it was definitely a winding road to get there.
3.What has been your favorite part of being an IB Honors student so far?
The big lab sessions we do in each of the IBH core courses have been some of my favorites. Whether it’s leading our own independent research projects experimenting with C. elegans in IB 270 with Professor Marks, wrangling live crabs in IB 271 with Professor Cheng, or going on the dozens of field trips we take in IB 371 with Professor Dalling, they’re all awesome. You learn a lot, gain hands-on research experience, and, most importantly, turn your classmates into friends as you spend time doing new and challenging things together.
4.What has been your favorite Illinois tradition or campus event so far?
Quad Day has to be the most special thing at UIUC by far! It’s amazing to see so many welcoming activities and groups and get lost in the sea of people checking them out. When I’m tabling for the Beekeeping Club, it’s fun to bring our bees on a field trip in their observation hive and share them with not just students, but also parents and community members.
Other than that, my friend Brandt and I have a tradition of biking to Monical’s Pizza every time there’s a tornado warning, but don’t try that at home.
5.Are you involved in any clubs, organizations, research, or other activities? What do youenjoy most about them?
I’m a researcher in the Marks Lab, where we study resurrection plants: grasses that can survive droughts as if they’re playing dead and then come back to life. It feels pretty awesome to work at the edge of knowledge and study things that are still unknown to humans, rather than just read about what we’ve already figured out in a textbook.
I’m also President of the UIUC Beekeeping Club and the UIUC Pollinator Network, which keeps me outside and in the company of bees, native plants, or both. Separately, I really enjoy connecting with incoming students through IBH, James Scholar, and Campus Honors Programs as a peer mentor. I’ve been super stoked to see them already surpassing anything I’ve done at Illinois.
6.What are you looking forward to most this school year?
I’m looking forward to enjoying my favorite restaurants on campus while I still can, taking some just-for-fun classes while I still have the freedom of being an undergraduate, and
letting the upcoming leaders of the Beekeeping Club take on more of the administrative paperwork so I can get back to just enjoying the beekeeping.
7. What has surprised you most about college or being an IB student?
I’ve been most surprised by how supportive IB and UIUC faculty and staff are as mentors and educators. There are so many accomplished people at the university, and they’ve been incredibly generous with their time, support, and advice, which has helped me grow as a researcher, leader, and person. The life-changing mentorship I’ve received has left me excited and motivated to pay that support forward, both as an IB senior and throughout my career in academia, whether at UIUC or elsewhere.
8. Do you have plans after graduation? Where do you hope your IB education takes you after graduation?
I’m planning to work with the Charles Darwin Foundation in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, to study how people interact with wildlife and use those relationships to inform conservation efforts. For example, I plan to examine how marine iguanas—a vulnerable species found only in the Galápagos—can benefit from human-built habitat while also providing tourism opportunities that support local businesses and help conserve an endangered population. I want to build bridges between human and natural communities in marine environments and unlock their potential to support each other. I’ve had great experiences with research at UIUC, so after some time in Ecuador, I’m excited to pursue a PhD and keep learning new things.
9. What do you think you’ll miss the most about Illinois and IB after graduation?
I won’t miss the cold or the corn, but I will miss the people. I’ve become increasingly thankful for the communities I’ve found at Illinois, the support I’ve received from faculty and staff mentors in IB and other departments, and the friends I’ve made through my classes, extracurriculars, or simply by crossing paths around campus. I hope to keep up with those relationships and come back to visit so I don’t miss it too much.
10. What advice would you give to new and incoming IB students?
Humans are pretty good at predicting what they will and won’t like. You can take a good guess at whether you’ll like the weather by checking your phone, or how you might feel about a song based on its genre. However, I don’t think we’re as good as we think at predicting what we’ll enjoy, excel at, or make friends doing. I’d encourage new IB students to doubt their predictions a little extra and try things they might otherwise be hesitant to do. I didn’t know I’d like beekeeping until I gained the courage to
go to a meeting my second semester, and I didn’t know how passionate I’d become about my native plant projects until friends in the Beekeeping Club convinced me to garden with them. I can’t imagine what I would have missed out on if I hadn’t gotten involved with research because I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about plant biology, or if I hadn’t applied for the IB Honors program as a political science student because I didn’t think I had enough STEM coursework. You miss out on a lot less by finding out firsthand that you don’t like something, and you usually learn something from failing at things, even if you already guessed you’d fail. With the opportunities and support at Illinois and IB, it’s the perfect place to explore, fail, and second-guess your assumptions about what you will and won’t like. The surprise successes and discoveries might just become some of your proudest choices.
As we reflect on Homecoming Weekend, IB is grateful to have had Fisher represent IBH on this year’s Homecoming Court. His experience gave him the opportunity to connect with students from across campus while proudly representing IB and the IB community. We’re grateful Fisher took the time to share his Homecoming experience and reflect on the people, opportunities, and memories that have shaped his time at Illinois. We look forward to seeing where his curiosity and passion take him next, and we will be cheering him on along the way!