I first joined FABI in 2013 where I was a mentee student part of the CTHB mentorship programme. Although my honours degree was in a different research group, my love and passion for plant-pathogen interactions drew me back to the FABI team, where I continued with my Master's degree in Genetics and formed part of the leading  Avocado research group in the world - Avocado Research Porgramme. I am currently pursuing my PhD degree in Genetics and the main aim of my project is to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of Rosellinia necatrixin South Africa.