Since graduating from William & Mary in 2021, I’ve been working as an environmental scientist at Whitman, Requardt & Associates, a civil engineering firm in Richmond, VA. As part of the natural resources team, I lead field work including wetland delineations, stream assessments, and threatened and endangered species surveys to assess resources present on proposed construction sites.

In the office, I assist with permit applications which report proposed impacts to wetlands and streams and the proposed mitigation plan to replace lost functions and values. I’m thankful for my semester abroad with SFS which introduced me to ecological field work.

Favorite SFS Memory: It’s hard to choose just one! I really enjoyed our time conducting independent research at the end of the semester. My research partner and I assessed how hiker trampling in Torres del Paine National Park affects vegetation diversity and density.

It was fun hiking through the park with our PVC pipe plot pieces sticking out of our backpacks. Lots of hikers stopped to ask about our research. It was a really unique experience conducting research in a national park, interacting with other visitors, and learning in depth about the types of plant species and communities growing along the trails.