Mireya Molina, a rising senior at El Diamonte High School, joined UCCE Tulare County as a 2024 summer research intern serving the nut, olive, and prune research and extension program. Mireya has a strong science background and is an active member of her high school horticulture and FFA programs. She has served as a volunteer at fundraisers for the local SPCA and at Happy Trails Riding Academy as well as at a youth science fair hosted by the Visalia Unified School District. Mireya has taken advantage of the AP and agricultural education coursework at El Diamonte High School and expresses an interest in pursuing a BS in animal science at Chico State University in fall 2025. During the summer of 2024, Mireya served as a volunteer intern in the research and extension program of Elizabeth Fichtner, UC ANR Farm Advisor, working on enumerating insects for a pest management study on walnuts. Mireya's work contributes to the understanding of the best timing for application of insect growth regulators (IGR) for management of walnut scale, specifically determining the value of dormant applications versus delayed dormant application of Centaur^®, an IGR produced by Nichino America. Her work will help walnut growers gain the maximum value out of each application of the insecticide, thus reducing overall insecticide inputs for management of the pest.