Veronica earned a BS in Biological Sciences from San Jose State University. She participated in several NSF-funded research experiences during her undergraduate career including one that introduced her to coral reefs in the Philippines.

Her research as a Master's student in the Reef Ecology Lab looked at habitat selection of Red Sea hawkfishes with the goal of better understanding the associations between reef fish and corals. One species in particular, P. forsteri, exhibits different color morphs and she worked to find out whether these occupy different ecological niches. In addition, she used next generation sequencing tools to further investigate possible speciation among the morphs. She completed her M.Sc. in December 2014.

Veronica has a strong interest in communicating science and invoking wonder about the world around her.