It was her grad school bachelorette party and a strong desire to stay away from the standard “hen night“ that sparked the decision to jump.  Vanessa Shirazi and a crew of 10 ladies headed to Skydive Chicago for a weekend, beginning an extraordinary and passionate career in skydiving. As a working neuroscientist, Vanessa has found a way to mix profession and passion in more ways than one, even blending the two together in a study aimed directly at skydivers abilities to handle stress. Now balancing work, skydiving events such as Project 19 and the busy life of a mother of two, she still holds tightly to her passion for the sport and all that the Lunatic Fringe has to offer.