

The Trilobite



Photos: Emily Paine

Ali Reach ’20 loves fossils of all kinds, but the trilobite her high-school science teacher gave her is her favorite.

Ali Reach ’20 loves fossils of all kinds, but the trilobite her high-school science teacher gave her is her favorite.
“My AP environmental science teacher was really passionate about what he was talking about, which was the coolest thing, especially in high school. I basically nerded out over trilobites and fossils. At the end of the year, he gave me a trilobite he found in Arizona as my senior going-away present. Giving someone a fossil that you found is really meaningful.
The trilobite is the Pennsylvania state fossil. He knew I was going to school in Pennsylvania, and I’m also from Pennsylvania. The trilobite combines my high-school experience, my home and also what I’m doing here. That’s why it’s my favorite thing.
“I’m so attached to all the fossils I’ve found. I keep two rocks on me at any given time. I have some plant fossils that I found and just weird samples that I think are cool. I found a lot of the rocks before college or during the Bucknell geology labs and field trips. A lot of my other rocks and minerals are gifts that people got for me from all over the place. It’s the world’s best (and cheapest) gift. … I’m still trying to find my own trilobite.”
— As told to Kathryn Nicolai ’20