Adrien’s Haitian grandfather was an agronomist with a deep appreciation for nature, plants and science, something she is also very passionate about. She also credits her stepfather’s family, who were avid readers and 60 Minutes viewers, for nurturing her narrative skills and love of journalism.
The senior correspondent at NutraIngredients-USA also worked in a research lab during college, where she was tasked with the laborious but rewarding process of cross-pollinating corn plants. Despite the physical work in hot temperatures, she embraced the opportunity to work in nature, learn about research and contribute to science.
“I just remember things like seeing how my boss would labor away at his computer,” she said. “One minute he would be out in the field or in the greenhouse, and the next minute he would spend hours and hours just laboriously trying to write a scientific paper or a grant.
“And he wasn’t just an average scientist—he works for NASA now. He does plant research in space. He’s regularly published in the journal Nature. So it’s not just an appreciation, it’s more of a respect. I was in awe of the work that a lot of these researchers did.”
Later on in life, Adrien spent some time working as a cab driver. While she didn’t always know how to get to her passenger’s destination, she did enjoy the stories along the way.
“You find these little moments in your life to have stories and to tell stories, and when you’re stuck in a cab in a small container of a car with somebody, you’re forced to really either not say anything, which you get that sometimes, or open up to strangers, and those are some of the best stories,” she said.
Whether it was driving a cab and connecting with strangers or working in a research lab tasked with cross-pollinating corn plants, Adrien credits those meaningful conversations and research experiences to the stellar work she does today.
