Chris Malanuk

These programs are going to open your eyes to current political, cultural, and environmental issues that impact real ecosystems and real people…

 
SFS PROGRAMS: Marine Resource Studies | Turks & Caicos Islands | Summer 2 2018, Tropical Island Biodiversity Studies | Panama | Fall 2018
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Davidson College
CURRENT POSITION: Waterfront Assistant, SFS Turks & Caicos Islands

 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SFS MEMORY?
There are too many to choose from. I am incredibly lucky that I was able to spend a summer session studying field research techniques in the TCI and the Fall semester in Panama, hiking in rainforests and diving on coral reefs. Any day spent out in the field was a great memory. With that, my favorite memory is not necessarily a single moment. For me, nothing will ever beat waking up early with a cup of coffee in these incredible places I never thought I’d see – places half my friends and family probably could not point to on a map. That always added some excitement.

 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE YOU VISITED DURING YOUR PROGRAMS?
Boquete, Panama remains one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We spent the mid-semester field trip in Panama crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back and spent two days in Boquete, a city built into the mountains. We hiked through the cloud forests and visited coffee plantations. I’ve never had so much coffee in such little time. It’s definitely a place I want to see again.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE STUDENT?
Having an open mind is key. You have to realize that you are going to meet people and learn things that may challenge your own perception of certain issues. These programs are going to open your eyes to current political, cultural and environmental issues that impact real ecosystems and real people, so it’s essential to never be dismissive of someone’s viewpoint without at least first hearing their side. Make an effort to understand and embrace the difference in ideas and perspectives. It will make your experience all the more interesting and enriching.

 
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO APPLY FOR AN SFS JOB AFTER GRADUATION?
I changed my plan of study very quickly when I came back home. I was somewhat half-heartedly on a pre-med track in college with no idea what else I would do if medicine was not the answer. That changed drastically after my time with SFS. Finally gaining an understanding of the very real threats from ocean acidification to climate change was all the motivation I needed to change directions. My time with SFS definitely changed my goals and future plans for the better, so getting to come back to the TCI and hopefully help other students have a similar experience did not require much hesitation.

 

Students heading out to conduct research in the waters around South Caicos Island. Chris is in the back row on the right.

 
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT THE SFS TURKS & CAICOS CENTER LIKE?
I am currently working as one of the Waterfront Assistants at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies on South Caicos. As someone who likes to maximize their time spent on the water, this is a dream come true. Waterfront Assistants are primarily responsible for working with the Marine Operations Coordinator (MOC) and Dive Safety Officer (DSO) to assist or lead any snorkels and SCUBA dives, whether they are for field research, PADI advanced certifications, or recreational. Our other responsibilities include captaining and maintaining all marine vessels, helping with any necessary repairs to the docks and around the center, providing dive briefings, and helping the professors and staff with any other preparation for classes and field research.

 
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS COMING SEMESTER?
I think I am most excited to be a part of the work behind-the-scenes that allows the field exercises and extracurricular opportunities to happen. As a student, you may get some insight to the work the faculty and staff put forward to make everything happen, but coming back to work gives you a whole new appreciation. The professors and staff I have worked with and studied under have all had the same goal of ensuring every student has a memorable experience. Currently, one group of students is learning how to prep BRUV’s (Baited Remote Underwater Vehicles) and set them up with cameras on reefs and in the mangroves around South Caicos to observe marine megafauna (sharks, rays, fish). Meanwhile, another group works to locate potential octopus dens along South’s beaches, a few of which have already been seen in the swim zone right next to the Center. It’s easy to say there is never a dull moment here.

 
RECOMMEND A GOOD BOOK OR MOVIE THAT HAS HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
There is a reason why “Where the Crawdads Sing” has been a New York Times Bestseller since 2018. Having grown up in Charleston, SC, reading this book only deepened my appreciation of the marsh and the peace you can find coexisting in nature – at least, maybe until someone finds Chase Andrews dead in the marsh. Beyond the suspense and drama that makes the book so enticing, you see the simple life that Kya (the main character) tries to lead on her own beyond the reaches of societal constraints, the happiness of a simple life surrounded by trees, birds and marsh grass, and it will make you wonder why we see these already beautiful places and feel the need to put a golf course there.

August 2021

Dan Myers

In a weird way, my experience with SFS Turks and Caicos hinted at the unexpected path my career would take…First off, I wasn’t even supposed to be there!

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks and Caicos Islands | Fall 2009
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Dickinson College
CURRENT POSITION: Director of Public Affairs, National Geographic Pristine Seas

 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SFS MEMORY?
Lionfish research! I remember spending hours in the water hunting for lionfish, trying to identify their habitat preferences and diet around the South Caicos. At first it felt like a hopeless task — very little was known about their local ecological preferences, but by the end we started to see real trends in their presence and behavior. Being part of a research project with real management impacts was fascinating!

 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
Alongside a team of explorers, scientists and filmmakers, I work to explore, document and protect the last wild places in the ocean.

 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
In a weird way, my experience with SFS Turks and Caicos hinted at the unexpected path my career would take. First off, I wasn’t even supposed to be there! I was originally accepted to the Baja program but Hurricane Jimena caused serious flooding in Mexico, thus delaying the semester to the point where I couldn’t go.

As a result, at the last minute I switched to the Turks program (and immediately went out to buy snorkel gear!). Living in the Caribbean gave me an appreciation for the challenges faced by island communities around the world. Fast forward six years and I (again unexpectedly) started working with National Geographic Pristine Seas, a program dedicated to establishing marine reserves in the ocean’s last wild places. In this job, I’ve used the understanding that SFS gave me to work with island communities around the world.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE STUDENT?
If you choose to go, be where your feet are.

 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT>
E.O. Wilson’s “Half Earth.” It’s a critical call to action for all conservationists to raise the level of their ambition.

 
DESCRIBE A FAVORITE SPOT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS FOR EXPLORING OR REFLECTION.
There’s no place in the world like the Wind River Wilderness!

November 2019

Claire Poelking

It sounds silly in retrospect, but one of my most striking memories was learning just how many people lived their lives each day alongside iconic East African wildlife.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife Management Studies | Kenya & Tanzania | Spring 2012
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: University of Wisconsin-Madison
CURRENT POSITION: Program Officer, Conservation and Sustainable Development, MacArthur Foundation

 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SFS MEMORY?
It sounds silly in retrospect, but one of my most striking memories was learning just how many people lived their lives each day alongside iconic East African wildlife. When I thought of wildlife management as a kid from Chicago, I had not considered local human communities or how they are impacted by their proximity to wildlife and the protected areas tourists visit to see wildlife. It was illuminating to learn from farmers, pastoralists, conservationists, and scientists the intricacy and nuance of these human-wildlife relationships and how much of wildlife management is actually managing relationships with people.

 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I oversee grant-making to nonprofit organizations working on environmental conservation in the Great Lakes of East Africa, Greater Mekong Basin in Southeast Asia, and the Tropical Andes of South America. This includes conducting research, reviewing grant proposals, managing three portfolios of grants, and working with grantee organizations.

 
DID SFS PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR CAREER PATH?
SFS absolutely contributed to me being where I am now! I went on to earn a Masters in Natural Resources and Environment, and a large part of my degree was spent researching and writing a thesis about the effects of protected areas and community wildlife conservancies on pastoralist livelihoods in and around Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwest Kenya. Now, I work to support conservation organizations that include communities and local perspectives in their work protecting biodiversity, many of which are located in East Africa.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE STUDENT?
I would tell students to get to know the staff: the cooks, drivers, maintenance crew, professors, everyone that helps to make your experience what it is! SFS has found some really incredible people, and I highly encourage students to meet and learn from all of them.

 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
I recently finished reading “Conservation Refugees” by Mark Dowie. This book chronicles the struggles between indigenous peoples and Western conservation models and organizations. The book reminds us that there are many, many ways to be good stewards of the land and its resources and often the more local and culturally appropriate the conservation mechanisms, the better they work for both the environment and the people and wildlife that call it home.

 
DESCRIBE A FAVORITE SPOT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS FOR EXPLORING AND REFLECTION.
I am transfixed by anywhere with African acacia trees. They make for the. most. beautiful. silhouette. during a sundowner. Watching the sun set over the savannah is one of my very favorite things in the world.

November 2019

Aja Szumylo

Aja was one of six NOAA employees recognized at the annual Women of Color in STEM conference, which was held October 3-5, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. These awards recognize significant achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks and Caicos Islands | Fall 2002
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Swarthmore College
CURRENT POSITION: Supervisory Fishery Management Specialist at NOAA

 
Aja Szumylo leads a group of analysts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop policies and regulations for fishing in federal waters off of Washington, Oregon, and California. She coordinates policy development, rulemaking, and management programs for the Pacific Coast groundfish fishery and the coastal pelagic species fishery. Aja first worked with NOAA Fisheries as a contractor at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, Washington, as a fisheries social scientist. She later worked as a fishery policy analyst on fishery management plans for seven years in New England before becoming the chief of the Groundfish and Coastal Pelagic Species Branch for the West Coast Region in 2018. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology from Swarthmore College and a Master’s in environmental management from Duke University.

Aja was one of six NOAA employees recognized at the annual Women of Color in STEM conference, which was held October 3-5, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan. These awards recognize significant achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

“Congratulations to NOAA’s inspiring award recipients,” said Louisa Koch, Director of NOAA Education.”It’s rewarding to see these women recognized for their outstanding accomplishments. I am proud to work for an organization that is committed to building a talented, diverse and inclusive workforce. Many of these awardees are former NOAA scholars, fellows, or graduates of historically Black colleges and universities that NOAA has worked closely with for many years.”

Aja received a Technology Rising Star Award, and shared her paths to a career at NOAA and their advice for future STEM leaders:

 
WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN STEM?
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I grew up in Virginia, but my family is from the Caribbean. I remember being stunned by how beautiful the ocean was on our family visits to various islands and wanting to figure out a way to work in or near the ocean as an adult.

I was lucky enough to have a marine biology course in high school in northern Virginia. I also had an amazing, engaging AP Biology teacher who led me to pursue biology as my undergraduate major.

While pursuing my undergraduate biology degree, I quickly realized that I didn’t enjoy aspects of being a research scientist. I chose a study abroad program through The School for Field Studies in Turks and Caicos. The program had coursework in the various fields that support fisheries management — biology, economics, law, policy. I enjoyed how these fields intersect in environmental challenges. My job today is a blend of these disciplines.

 
WHAT’S THE BEST PART ABOUT WORKING AT NOAA?
I work with brilliant professionals who do fascinating, important work. I largely work with staff in NOAA Fisheries, but have had the chance through details and training opportunities to interact with people in other NOAA line and staff offices. Talking with staff from other line offices is especially energizing because it reminds me how important NOAA’s mission is — how our earth and ocean observation work and our regulatory work affects so many Americans.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO UP-AND-COMING STEM PROFESSIONALS?
Talk to people who do jobs that look interesting to you. Many adult professionals are happy to discuss the training and opportunities that led them to their current position, and highlight the pros and cons of different lines of work. I did an internship at the National Aquarium and quickly learned through the work and conversations with aquarists and my experience working there that being an aquarist would not energize me. You may try on different careers and find they do not fit, but that is all important information for finding the right career path.

 
Read the full story: “6 NOAA experts honored at Women of Color in STEM Awards.” NOAA Press Release 10/21/2019.

November 2019

Emily Stokes

My time at the Center for Marine Resource Studies…not only gave me the educational background and research experience to pursue jobs in the marine conservation field but also confidence in knowing that I could work and live abroad.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks and Caicos Islands | Fall 2012
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Western Washington University
CURRENT POSITION: Senior Associate, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy

 
What is your favorite SFS memory?
One of my favorite memories was when a fellow student discovered a turtle nest on the beach while on a run. We all piled in the SFS vans with the interns and hurried over. When we got there, baby turtles were coming out of the sand and heading to the ocean. We were able to watch this incredible miracle and help a few turtles navigate their way to the next phase in their life. This was also the first time in many years that an active turtle nest was found on South Caicos and this discovery kicked off a research project to monitor South Caicos beaches and other nearby keys for active turtle nests.

 
What are you up to now?
At the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, my team and I work with scientists, policy makers, and NGOs to advocate for the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world. I work on several campaigns in South America and the Pacific regions.

 
How did SFS help you in your career path?
My time at the Center for Marine Resource Studies was pivotal to where I am today. It not only gave me the educational background and research experience to pursue jobs in the marine conservation field but also confidence in knowing that I could work and live abroad.

 
What advice would you give to a prospect SFS student?
Get outside of your comfort zone! Life on South Caicos was very different from life on a college campus but the times that I was challenged with new experiences were the times that were the most rewarding.

 
Recommend a great book that had an influence on how you view the environment.
The Unnatural History of the Sea by Dr. Callum Roberts. This is a fascinating read that goes back through the ages and recounts the damage humans have done to our ocean over time and refutes the idea that our ocean resources are endless.

 
Describe a favorite spot in the great outdoors for exploring and reflection.
Living in Washington, DC, I’m unfortunately not as close to the ocean as I would like. Thankfully, my backyard is Rock Creek Park with miles of trails to run or hike on!

September 2019

Merra Howe

I ultimately credit SFS with helping me to land my dream job as a federal employee at the Marine Mammal Commission.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife and Water Studies | Kenya | Spring 2009
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Vassar College
CURRENT POSITION: Policy Analyst, U.S. Marine Mammal Commission

 
What is your favorite SFS memory?
I have so many wonderful, vivid memories of my time with SFS in Kenya, but perhaps the most striking was the unique and constant stimulation of the senses. From the smells of acacia branches burning at the Masaai bomas, to the taste of milky sweet chai, to the intense heat of the equatorial sun, to the evening chorus of chirps, grunts, buzzes and roars, and to the images of wildebeest, zebra and antelope herds stretched across the landscape of Amboseli National Park. Whenever I feel stifled by the urban jungle of Washington, D.C., I think back to these sensory experiences and am immediately transported to our SFS camp at the foothills of Kilimanjaro.

 
What do you do for work?
At the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission, I help organize and carry out reviews of domestic and international policy bearing on the conservation of marine mammals. I am responsible for developing agency positions and recommendations, particularly relating to permit applications for the take of marine mammals under the Marine Mammal Protection Act for scientific research, photography, and public display.

 
What did you gain from your time at SFS?
Growing up, I always thought that saving wildlife was just about the wildlife. The SFS Kenya program completely broadened my views, as I came to realize that communication between all stakeholders, including local communities, researchers, government bodies, and advocates, was key to the creation of long-term, successful wildlife conservation practices. With these informed perspectives gained from my time at SFS, I decided to pursue a career in environmental policy. I ultimately credit SFS with helping me to land my dream job as a federal employee at the Marine Mammal Commission, and I endeavor daily to incorporate the lessons learned from my SFS program while working towards the conservation of marine mammals and their ecosystems.

 
What advice would you give to a prospective SFS student?
Take every opportunity to get outside of your comfort zone. Live with and learn from people of different backgrounds with different livelihoods, political views and religious beliefs, and you’ll find you have more in common than you thought.

 
What are you currently reading?
I’m in the middle of Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, and it turns out that their masterful engineering of rivers and lakes is one of the primary drivers of the health of watershed ecosystems. The recovery of the species across the United States from near extermination has profoundly increased the abundance of native freshwater fish, as well as numerous other riverine avian, mammal, and plant species. The book has given me a completely new outlook on the value of generally overlooked and “nuisance” species and has made me consider all the other overlooked species that may be performing critical ecosystem services but that we don’t know anything about. (Editors note: Eager is written by SFS alumnus Ben Goldfarb, SFS Australia Fall ’07!)

 
Describe a favorite spot in the great outdoors for exploring and/or reflection.
I was fortunate enough to live on a few different islands in Hawaii for several years while attending graduate school at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. One year for Thanksgiving, my friend and I decided to hike along the coast of northwest Kauai, which provides the only land access into the jungles and ridges of the Nā Pali wilderness. It was a grueling, 11-mile hike that offered many hours to ponder the world as one foot is placed in front of the other. But I will never forget climbing atop the final hill and looking down upon the lush Kalalau Valley and its long stretch of sandy beach. Never has sitting on a log and peeling off hiking boots while being sprayed with ocean mist felt quite so satisfying. And there’s even a hidden fruit garden up in the valley for the lucky hikers that can find it!

September 2019

Arjun Dheer

SFS was the first step on my career journey and I feel an enormous amount of gratitude to the program. There is no way I would be where I am today without SFS, and I am still in touch with my professors from seven years ago.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife Management Studies | Kenya & Tanzania | Spring 2012
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: University of Maryland
CURRENT POSITION: Ph.D. Student, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research

 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SFS MEMORY?
My first visit to the Ngorongoro Crater in 2012 will always stand out to me. I remember being blown away by the natural splendor of the area and the sheer density of carnivores in the Crater… in just one session, we saw hyenas, cheetahs, jackals, servals, and lions. I’d seen documentaries about the Crater as a child, so I was super excited to see it for myself, and it exceeded my expectations. I told myself I’d be back here one day as a researcher, and I’m lucky that it has actually happened.

 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
I am currently pursuing my Ph.D. focused on spotted hyenas in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. I am focused on hyena adaptability to human pressure and the impact that hyenas have on the local Maasai community.

SFS set me on this career path. Having professors who were directly in my field and to meet scientists who were doing what I wanted to do for a living was eye-opening and incredibly rewarding. It showed me a career in large carnivore research was attainable and it also taught me practical field and statistical skills that I still use to this day. SFS was the first step on my career journey and I feel an enormous amount of gratitude to the program. There is no way I would be where I am today without SFS, and I am still in touch with my professors from seven years ago.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE STUDENT?
I would tell them to make the most of their semester – keep in touch with their professors, look for opportunities to get published, and do what they can to stand out. A semester with SFS can be the foundation for a long and fruitful career in field biology if you play your cards right. Get good grades and network!

 
DESCRIBE A FAVORITE PLACE TO VISIT IN EAST AFRICA.
The Ngorongoro Crater! It is just bursting with life, and the species richness is palpable as soon as you drive in. Time seems to stand still here. Sometimes during fieldwork I have to pause just to take a moment and soak it all in and meditate. The wide open grasslands, vast herds of grazing herbivores, lion prides, and hyena clans give a prehistoric feeling to the whole place and speak to something ancient and mysterious from our past.

 
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE…
It informs management decisions and policymaking. Evidence-based, scientifically informed environmental policy is the bedrock of a healthy ecosystem that meets the needs of both wildlife and human communities. Scientists play an essential role in society because of this, and it is very fulfilling to see our expertise and recommendations being applied by policymakers and managers.

March 2019

Neil Fitzharris

We were an amazingly tight-knit group of like-minded individuals who became instant friends. As a 30-year old I have come to appreciate how rare that is.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks & Caicos | Spring 2009
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: DePauw University
CURRENT POSITION: Origination Associate at EDP Renewables
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
I fondly remember a particular night around a bonfire. There is a beach 30-minute walk north of the Center for Marine Resource Studies on South Caicos with a few abandoned buildings and a spectacular view of East Bay. The students decided we should gather there one night. There was nothing special about that night, we just had some time and we wanted to spend it together. Every single student on the island was there. This memory sticks out to me for two reasons: one, we were an amazingly tight-knit group of like-minded individuals who became instant friends. As a 30-year old I have come to appreciate how rare that is. And two, the natural beauty of that spot will always stay with me and often pops up during the surprisingly common nature vs. development conversations I find myself having in my current role.

 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
I currently work for a large renewable energy developer. It’s a commercial role, but we do exactly what I learned in those days: utilize natural resources to promote sustainable, human development. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my Master’s Program at Indiana University’s School for Public and Environmental Affairs, and I would not have pursued that post graduate education were it not for the School for Field Studies program.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
For those considering SFS, you will not find a more culturally immersive program than this. Talk to alumni, learn more about what impacted them, for every conversation and every walk into town is as educational as the high-quality classroom learning, and every alumnus has more than one story.

 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.

 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE AND WHY?
An eagle ray. I cannot think of a more elegant creature, and they are capable of joy (evidenced by the jumping rays visible from the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies)!

January 2019

Marissa Cusick

Although I couldn’t have possibly realized it at the time, my time with SFS planted seeds that you can directly see sprouting currently in my life.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Sustainable Development Studies | Costa Rica | Summer 2012
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: West Chester University
CURRENT POSITION: Assistant Farm Manager, Obercreek Farm
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
Since I was only in Costa Rica for about a month, I feel as though maybe the memories I have of the country and the SFS experience are all still vivid and have thankfully stayed singular. I remember a good majority: from taking trips to a farm where we planted trees, visiting San Jose, our stay in the biological research station for our final projects. I also remember certain specific images like the eucalyptus trees, waking up early in the morning to a sun illuminated Arenal volcano, or simply looking out over campus from the hammock on the porch. I have an image of Edgardo unveiling a group of bats from beneath a (banana?) tree, crocodile-filled mangroves, and simple, beautiful meals with my classmates. I remember Atenas and leaving campus for runs up the hill, getting ice cream and candy from the shop down the street, and our trip to Jaco beach. Since it has been 6 years since my SFS experience, I do not have one specific memory that is my favorite. Now, they have all assumed equal importance.

 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
Although I couldn’t have possibly realized it at the time, my time with SFS did, in fact, plant seeds that you can directly see sprouting currently in my life. After graduating college, I moved across the country to plant trees out in the Pacific Northwest with an environmental non-profit called Earthcorps. After a year, I returned home to try my hand at organic farming. Since beginning farming, I have a nascent interest in agroforestry and carbon farming and have explored these disciplines within the context of organic farming. I have also completed a certificate in Permaculture Design. All of these have a direct correlation to daily life on the SFS campus, projects for our classes, and the educational trips we completed during the SFS summer session.

 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
If this is what you want or what you even THINK you want, and have the means to make it happen, it is probably worth your time. Costa Rica is truly one of the most beautiful countries I have ever been to and the teachers are understanding and helpful. Also, learn some Spanish, if you can. I did not and seriously regret this.

 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT
Completing a degree in Environmental Geography, there is truly too much content I have consumed over the past 10 years. I read a lot, so I will recommend some wonderful books I have read:

• I am currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book is connecting me to the place I currently live and considers the importance of reciprocity in a world where all that humans currently seem to do is take from the environment.
• Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard is a book about the company Patagonia and how the business has conserved the Patagonian landscape while still building a successful business with primary responsibility toward the Earth.
• The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka deals primarily with the radical autonomy that comes with growing your own food, but allowing the crops to have a life of their own in the most natural way possible.
• Cities in the Wilderness by the former secretary of state of Arizona, Bruce Babbit, concentrates on the use of land in the United States and how we can and must use laws to restore land for the sake of the land itself, the non-human species that call it home, and also for humans.
• The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan has had a great impact upon my personal life. Because of this book, I discovered the environmental impact that consuming animal products has on the Earth. It is the initial reason I have now been plant based for the last 6 years of my life.

 
DESCRIBE A FAVORITE SPOT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS FOR EXPLORING AND/OR REFLECTION
One of the last places I visited in Washington was a long hike we took to complete some back country trail work. I am not sure of what the trail was called but we ended up at Deep Lake. To get to Deep Lake, which is located on the Pacific Crest Trail, my crew and I hiked with 40+ lbs on our backs up 5 miles and then down 3 miles into a valley. It took us around 6-7 hours (a testament to the elevation gain, which I am also not sure of) but is also on my list for one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. I will ALWAYS recommend this hike to anyone that is able to do it. Not only is there a beautiful lake to swim in, you can explore as much of the Pacific Crest Trail as you want and a pit toilet was dug for you in 2014 by a crew from Earthcorps! Other than a specific location such as Deep Lake, any spot in the forest does the trick for me. Try to find a sunny opening. Maybe a meadow of sorts.

July 2018

Christy Uchida

My SFS experience was absolutely transformational in my development…the observational, analytical, and empathetic skills I started honing at SFS are very relevant.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Rainforest Studies | Australia | Spring 1992
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Tufts University
CURRENT POSITION: Senior Program Officer, The Brinson Foundation

 
SFS Influence on My Career and Desire to Give Back
Although I have spent my career behind a desk mostly in urban Chicago, my SFS field experience was absolutely transformational in my development. I’ve mostly worked in the nonprofit field, spending about 10 years helping run nonprofits (including lots of fundraising) before “switching sides” over a decade ago to become a grantmaker. My first grantmaking role was at Boeing, which specifically funds environmental nonprofits, among others. And while the family foundation I’m at currently doesn’t focus on environmental work, the observational, analytical and empathetic skills I started honing at SFS are very relevant.

The best part of my job now is the field work I get to do observing grantees in Chicago Public Schools and various other community settings then translating my analysis to our board of directors. As I learned at SFS, there is no substitute for experiencing another environment in person to build empathy. Chicago is, unfortunately, a tale of two cities with vast inequalities among residents. I see how transformative it is for students who have grown up here but never seen Lake Michigan–the body of water that defines our City, just a few miles from their neighborhoods–to travel to downtown Chicago. We also know how important experiential learning is for young people to have hands-on opportunities. These are the types of opportunities that SFS provides, and I appreciate that SFS is thinking deeply about how to make their programs more accessible to low-income, first generation college-going, and/or under-represented minority students.

This is why I have been a modest annual donor to SFS for the past 25 years. Over 10% of SFS’ budget comes from contributions, and scholarships are one of the most direct ways to increase SFS’ accessibility to less privileged students. I’d encourage all alumni to reflect on the importance SFS has had in your lives and consider contributing (I swear this is completely unsolicited advice!).

 
SFS Memories
This spring has been very nostalgic for me as I celebrated my 25th year graduation from Tufts University and my 20th year graduation from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern. Running into other SFS alumni at my 25th college reunion encouraged me to pull out old photo albums and SFS course catalogs, and many of my memories remain vivid. I remember fostering orphaned flying fox bats that would return to “crash land” on students’ heads as we ate dinner on the veranda. I remember splitting firewood to build a fire under the water tank to have hot water for showers or for the wood-burning stove where we rotated preparing meals for 30 people each day. I remember getting up early to hear the dawn chorus and staying up late spotlighting for wildlife. But mostly I remember the people. The amazing faculty, staff and fellow students, many of whom are still working in the environmental and sustainability field making our world a better place.

June 2018

Sybil G. Gotsch

As soon as I got to Australia and spent a few weeks there, I thought, this is it. This is what I want to do. It showed me what it is really like to live at a field station, and you don’t get that back at college.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Rainforest Management Studies | Australia | Spring 1996
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Mount Holyoke College
CURRENT POSITION: Associate Professor of Biology, Franklin and Marshall College
 

“I remember one day,” recalls Sybil Gotsch, “when we were visited by a cassowary. That was pretty special. I was doing a succession research program with three other classmates and one afternoon, we were in the forest, doing our thing, really focused on the work we were doing, and then this huge massive, majestic, and also scary creature just came rambling up the trail. We looked at each other and said ‘What do we do? Try to look big!’”

Sybil is now an assistant professor of biology at Franklin and Marshall College, and an accomplished tropical ecology field researcher, and she credits The School for Field Studies (SFS) with helping her to find her path.

As a biology major at Mount Holyoke College, Sybil struggled with the decision of where to study abroad. She was drawn to the hands-on, field programs that The School for Field Studies offered, but she was torn between one program in the temperate rainforest of British Columbia and another in the tropical rainforest of Australia.

Her decision to pursue studies with SFS in Australia set the course for her career. “I totally fell in love. As soon as I got to Australia and spent a few weeks there, I thought, this is it. This is what I want to do.”

The Australia rainforest students curriculum, as in all SFS programs, is designed to view environmental issues through a multi-disciplinary lens – a perspective that Sybil appreciated. “As a botanist, when I am in the forest I see familiar faces from the plants; and I am used to viewing the whole ecosystem through that specific filter. But at SFS, I felt like I gained a really broad perspective of the natural history of the rainforest. It was an opportunity for me to soak in everything that the forest had to offer, or at least, much more than I would have been able to do otherwise.”

Her current research takes her 100 feet off the ground, up in the canopy of the Costa Rican cloud forest of Monteverde, where she studies the physiology of epiphytes – bromeliads, orchids, and other non-parasitic plants that live on other plants – and the effects of climate change on this community of plants and the larger ecosystem.

“There are 800 species of epiphytes that live up in the canopy and many are endemic to this region. This community is perhaps a sentinel for what will come with changes in climate because they are disconnected from the ground, partially or completely, and so they are very vulnerable to any changes going on in the atmosphere.”

Due to climate change, the point where clouds come into contact with the mountains is moving up slope, and the community in the canopy feels the effects of those changes first. This has far reaching impacts for the entire ecosystem. The montane cloud forest is important for general hydrology in the area because they capture water from the clouds which can evaporate slowly through the dry season and provide much needed moisture at drier times of year.

For Sybil and her team, a typical day starts at 5:30am with breakfast followed by a meeting in the lab to determine their assignments. The field team might have up to a two hour hike to reach the study trees before hooking into their harnesses and climbing a hundred feet in the air. They spend the next several hours downloading data, collecting samples, and checking on equipment. The samples collected are then analyzed by the lab team on the ground.

Life at an international field research station has become “part of the job” for Sybil – whose experiences include stints at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and a Harvard University/University of Costa Rica project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica in addition to her current work with Franklin and Marshall in Monteverde, Costa Rica. However, SFS Australia was her first introduction to this type of work.

“It was great to be able to combine birding at 4am with chopping firewood for our hot showers. It was that full living experience that I found to be really transformative for me. It showed me what it is really like to live at a field station, and you don’t get that back at college.”
 

September 2014

Anna West

Thinking back on my experience, Costa Rica was where, for the first time in my life, I combined what I liked to do with an idea of how I could serve others.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Sustainable Development Studies | Costa Rica | Fall 2013
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Boston University
CURRENT PROFESSION: Communications Consulting
 

I went to Costa Rica with my best friend because I was eager to escape Boston’s infamous winter. Looking back, I didn’t know what to expect, but what I came away with was a lifetime of memories, an appreciation for Costa Rican culture, a deep understanding of the environment, and a profound insight into myself.

When I close my eyes, I can still see Costa Rica’s rolling green hills. I can see myself in the early morning on the finca, surrounded by orange trees and dewy grass. I can see the sunset over Lake Nicaragua from the dock at Ometepe. I can see the clouds and mist envelop Monteverde. But it’s not just these landscapes that will forever be ingrained in my memories. More so, it’s the people that have left an imprint. I think about Yendry’s boundless wisdom and smile, Gerardo’s sense of humor, and Edgardo’s quiet way with birds. Besides the staff and faculty, I stay in touch with my SFS class and have met up with program friends in New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles.

Enrolling in SFS gave me the opportunity to take what I was learning in lectures and explore how environmental issues actually played out in the real world. At the end of the program, after our data was collected and our research papers were presented, I realized that while I enjoyed being in the field, my strength lies in bridging the communication gap between scientists and the public.

This critical insight into myself is something that I learned in the field and what has ultimately prompted my career since then. The semester after SFS I interned at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington D.C. where I did speechwriting and communications at the Office of the Press Secretary under former administrator Gina McCarthy. More recently, over the course of two years, I communicated and promoted Aclima’s data insights to elevate public awareness of the health impacts of air pollution. Currently, I work as a communications consultant and provide strategic communications, social media management, and digital marketing services to clients. In my work, it is my mission to drive impact for social change, educate about the environment, and help scientists better communicate their insights.

Thinking back on my experience, Costa Rica was where, for the first time in my life, I combined what I liked to do with an idea of how I could serve others. At SFS, I discovered that with storytelling I could engage audiences about science and the impacts of climate change on humans and our planet.

May 2018

Kara Zubey

What I value most about my experience was an opportunity to truly be my authentic self. Never in my life had I ever been with other people who loved the ocean as much as I did.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks & Caicos Spring ’95
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Dickinson College
CURRENT POSITION: Pharmaceutical Marketing
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
I remember a night dive when I sat at the bottom and could see the moon. On that same dive there was also quite a bit of bioluminescence, which looked like pixie dust as I spun around with my arms waving. Lastly, I remember sitting on the rock with my fellow SFSers watching the eagle rays jumping out of the water at sunset. The locals were also so kind and friendly. I remember going to a place called the Chicken Hut for great fried chicken. I wonder if it is still there?
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
I think about my experience very frequently. What I value most about my experience was an opportunity to truly be my authentic self. Never in my life had I ever been with other people who loved the ocean as much as I did. I’ve never had that experience again since leaving the program either. I found my inner peace in Turks and Caicos, learned about topics that I truly was interested in, and had a blast at the same time. I also have never seen anything more diverse and beautiful than the reef ecosystems that I saw. I joke that it ruined me for life because despite my annual diving trips, I have yet to see anything as good as it was on “The Rock”. It was my most favorite period of my youth (I consider anything up to 30 as my youth and then beyond that adulthood).
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Go. Don’t hesitate. It will change your life both academically and personally.
 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
I have two – Chasing Coral and Blue Zones. Chasing Coral talks about the disappearing reefs in a way that really tells a story. I relate to the maker of the film because he was in advertising and realized his favorite past time, diving and looking at sea dragons, was disappearing and he wanted to know why. He then applied his expertise in advertising and applied it to the problems with our environment by improving the “marketing and advertising” so that the story could reach more people and be easier to understand. He used pictures and as a marketer myself, I know how pictures truly do speak a thousand words.

The Blue Zones is about another researcher who wanted to understand why there are certain places in the world where people live to be healthy and happy centurians and don’t experience the same health problems we face today. He found 9 key elements that were consistent and writes about those in his book. He also includes great recipes, many of which are vegetable based, which I appreciate given I realize eating meat is a big driver of our environmental issues today.
 
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS DURING YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
The beach and on a dive. These two places are the only places where I truly can relax and reflect. You always see something new, the salt and water heals anything it touches, and it touches every sense (sight, sound, taste, and touch). My family and friends consistently advise me when they see I’m facing the normal adversities in life to plan a trip to the beach. That is because when I return, I’m a new person, each and every time.
 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE? WHY?
I’d be a ray. They are graceful, powerful, playful, and free. And, they live in the warm water with all of the other sea creatures I adore so much. I’d have all my favorites friends with me all the time.
 
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: RESEARCH IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE…
I feel it taps into important gifts we uniquely have as humans; we apply curiosity to gain knowledge which unleashes solutions to problems we face.
 

January 2019

Hillary Sullivan

Beyond invaluable friendships, I gained broad scientific and research experience that absolutely contributed to where I am today.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks and Caicos | Spring 2012
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Clark University
CURRENT POSITION: Research Assistant III, Woods Hole Research Center
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
My favorite memory from SFS was the hands-on learning. It was amazing to have class in the morning about marine ecology and fish identification, and then that very afternoon, be underwater snorkeling or diving putting what we just learned into practice. It is hard to beat that up close learning style!
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
I gained so much from my time at SFS it is hard to narrow everything down. Beyond invaluable friendships, I gained broad scientific and research experience that absolutely contributed to where I am today. The hands on experience and ability to develop and implement my own research question really sparked my interest in following research as a career path.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Detach as much as possible from your regular life and immerse yourself in your experience. Make strong connections with your fellow students and professors and push yourself to take risks!
 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
Jane Goodall has always been my role model because of how she pushed the boundaries and persevered in a mostly male-dominated field. She transformed the way I view the natural world around me. The new documentary “Jane” is an incredible film which pieces together old National Geographic footage to portray her experience as a biologist. Highly recommended for anyone who loves the environment.
 
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS DURING YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
Any time I am scuba diving is my favorite time of exploration and reflection. It is such a peaceful and humbling experience to be underwater, especialy because you never know what you are going to see. My favorite place that I dove was in Guadeloupe at the Jacques Cousteau Marine Reserve. Never before had I seen so many fish in one reef!
 

December 2018

Kim Starbuck

This program opened my eyes to how big this world really is. SFS instilled in me the confidence to feel comfortable traveling throughout the world and encountering a wide range of cultures and experiences.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Coastal Studies | Baja Mexico | Spring 2001
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Tufts University
CURRENT POSITION: Research Associate, Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts – Boston
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
I remember my first panga trip on the bay adjacent to our field station, Bahia Magdalena. We were looking for gray whales, and one surfaced right next to our panga. This was my first time seeing a whale, and I could not believe its size and strength. Needless to say, I was more than excited. I always thought that, in theory, I would like to work in the marine science field, and I took a number of marine science courses in college. But seeing whales in the wild confirmed that I wanted to dedicate my life to preserving their natural habitat.
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
So much. I gained real experience working in the marine science field. Instead of learning from textbooks, we went out on boats almost every day and learned first-hand about the marine environment and the issues impacting our oceans and coasts. We experienced it all, including the “highs” of field work (e.g. seeing amazing creatures in the wild and being on the ocean every day), and the “lows” of field work (e.g. seasickness, sunburns, and VERY bumpy panga rides – ouch).

I also learned about a different culture, and how communities interact with and depend upon their surrounding environment. I learned that it is critical for the local community’s experience, knowledge, and priorities to be central to all environmental decision-making processes; a lesson which I still use today in my current job.

Studying abroad with SFS also sparked my interest in international travel. SFS was my first time living outside of the United States. This program opened my eyes to how big this world really is. Since SFS, I have lived in Costa Rica, and traveled extensively throughout Europe, Mexico, Central America, Australia, and South America. SFS instilled in me not only an un-tameable “travel bug,” but also the confidence to feel comfortable traveling throughout the world and encountering a wide range of cultures and experiences.

Finally, the people I met on this study abroad program are still some of my best friends today. We shared such a unique and FUN experience together, that we are all bonded for life. We learned how to live and work together as a team, and had a lot of fun along the way.
 
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS YOU EXPLORED DURING YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
A few days after we arrived in Baja, we went on a camping trip to Estero Banderitas. I was a little nervous about camping out on a deserted beach with people I just met. The first morning on Estero Banderitas, I woke up early and peeked outside of my tent. I saw the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen in my life. Prior to arriving in Baja, I wondered if I should have chosen a more standard type of study abroad program. At that moment, I knew I made the right decision in choosing SFS.
 
DID SFS CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
YES, definitely. I may have pursued a different path if I had not fallen in love with the marine science field while with SFS. SFS also provided me with field experience, which was critical when I applied for jobs after college.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Definitely do it! It is a unique experience like no other, and I am so glad I went. It has definitely shaped who I am today.
 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?
I would be a dolphin, so that I could ride on the crest of waves as they roll into shore. They look like they are having so much fun!
 

April 2018

Catherine May

My entire career path was influenced by living and learning in Costa Rica. Furthermore, the deep relationships and network I built have been invaluable.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Sustainable Development Studies | Costa Rica | Spring 2013
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Cornell University
CURRENT POSITION: Marc Lindenberg Endowed Fellow at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
The week spent doing Directed Research was one of the most influential weeks of my life. I was on the natural resources team, and my particular project was on functional diversity metrics applied to carbon sequestration in forest fragments. The research itself was fascinating and had direct application to conservation of old-growth forest fragments. More so, the time spent working with a dedicated team collecting data confirmed that I wanted to be involved in research. I learned so much from my team members, and it was an extremely creative and inspiring experience to work with people who shared my passions.
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS?
The gains are both professional and personal. My entire career path was influenced by living and learning in Costa Rica. Furthermore, the deep relationships and network I built have been invaluable. I still keep in touch with the other students in my program, and I’m always so inspired to hear what they’re accomplishing.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Ask questions. Build relationships with your fellow students, because they’re going to end up being a source of both personal and professional inspiration for you. Try to engage with the community of your program and understand different points of view.
 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
I think Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is a classic. It catalyzed the environmental movement in 1960’s, and has a lot of direct implications for society currently approaches environmental conservation issues.
 
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS DURING YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
The campus in Costa Rica had a mango orchard, where a friend and I would frequently go. If you climbed the trees, you could get this view of the mountains nearby and sometimes see wildlife (if you were lucky). We spent a lot of time in those trees taking in the view and talking about whatever we had learned about that day.
 

January 2018

Katherine Fadelli

I could not imagine my college experience without SFS! Getting to learn and live abroad helped me to become more confident, self-sufficient, and aware of my role as a global citizen of this planet.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Sustainable Development Studies | Costa Rica | Spring 2015
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: University of Wisconsin – Madison
CURRENT POSITION: Assistant Planner, Urban Assets
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
We visited some incredible locations on our many class trips and excursions, but one of my most memorable days was spent getting to know the small town of Atenas where the Center is located. On host family day, two local students our age gave my upper-bunk mate and I an amazing tour of their homes and haunts in the agricultural areas outside of town. We all put our second language skills to the test getting to know each other as we stopped for delicious snacks, views of the valleys, and hikes up streets too steep to drive on. We ended the day at a relative’s farm where we we watched oxen turn a generations old mill and we drank the deep green and intensely sweet juice from crushed sugar cane. All the students returned to the Center that evening buzzing with stories of their respective adventures and new friends in town.
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS? DID SFS CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
I selected this program to learn about promoting sustainably built environments and was so excited to do so in a country where vibrant communities constantly innovate ways to improve their relationship to the diverse natural environment around them. During my semester in Costa Rica, I learned a lot about how to scientifically measure the health of natural environments, how they can be affected by human action, and how to share this information in ways that promote positive change. But for me (more often interested in the human side of environmental issues) the greatest takeaway from this program was how crucial it is to hear from all perspectives when making choices about how people interact with their built or natural environment. From case studies in class and on field trips, we learned about how important it is that the experience and knowledge of local community members is central to decision-making processes. This idea really stuck with me and I use it a lot in my role as an assistant urban planner. My firm creates community engagement initiatives to ensure that new projects and plans reflect the priorities of the community members and stakeholders that they will affect. SFS helped me to see that bringing a variety of perspectives together around urban and environmental issues takes time, but usually results in the most inclusive and innovation solutions.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Go for it! I was admittedly nervous about what I would miss during a semester away from my home university, but now I could not imagine my college experience without SFS! Getting to learn and live abroad helped me to become more confident, self-sufficient, and aware of my role as a global citizen of this planet.
 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
I took an environmental history course with Professor William Cronon who wrote Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. The book helped me to understand that even completely urban spaces are not separate from nature, but are built into environments that shape and are shaped by human actions.
 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?
I had a chance to see some incredible tropical species during my SFS semester, but I think I might be more of an urban creature. Life as a bird or squirrel in a big park, with lots of chances for snacks and people watching sounds pretty good to me.
 

February 2018

Kaitlyn Gaynor

I credit my experience at The School for Field Studies for launching my career. My time at SFS gave me not only the skills to conduct field research, but it instilled confidence that I could thrive in novel situations.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife Management Studies | Kenya | Spring 2009
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Columbia University
CURRENT POSITION: Ph.D. Candidate in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California – Berkeley
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
My first memory of my semester with SFS is of driving to the Kilimanjaro Bush Camp from the Nairobi Airport. All of the sights, sounds, and smells were so new, and despite jetlag and exhaustion, we were wide awake and glued to the windows of the vehicle trying to take it all in. We just about lost it when we saw a giraffe in the distance from the highway, and enthusiastically asked our driver to pull over. He laughed at our excitement, but indulged us nonetheless so that we could take pictures. Of course, we had many more incredible giraffe encounters over the semester, with far better photo opportunities, but that first sighting still has a special place in my memory.
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS? DID SFS CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
I am currently conducting research on wildlife ecology and conservation in Mozambique and in northern California, as I pursue my PhD. Without a doubt, I credit my experience at the School for Field Studies for launching my career. My time at SFS gave me not only the skills to conduct field research and the theoretical knowledge to understand complex wildlife management scenarios, but it instilled confidence that I could thrive in novel situations and taught me how to engage with a diverse group of collaborators. Just last week, I introduced myself to my new class of undergraduate students with a picture of me conducting my SFS Directed Research project, and urged them all to explore SFS opportunities as they considered careers in environmental science.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Be fearless and keep an open mind. There is so much to be learned both inside and outside of the classroom, so embrace every situation as an opportunity for learning and cultural exchange.
 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
I just finished watching Planet Earth II, which is of course an exemplar of wildlife cinematography and conservation storytelling. My favorite episode was the final Cities episode, which gave a glimpse of animals that survive—and even thrive—in urban areas. So many wildlife films imagine animals living in untouched wilderness, but the reality is that nearly all wild animals are in some way affected by human activity. As the human footprint expands worldwide, it is imperative to consider how we can coexist with wildlife.
 
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS DURING YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
I’ll never forget the sublime view of Mount Kilimanjaro from the steps of my banda at SFS’s Kilimanjaro Bush Camp. The mountain was a constant guardian and guide throughout the semester abroad. It never failed to amaze me!
 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?
I’m pretty happy with my current animal species! While the human species has undoubtedly done a lot of harm to the environment, many of us have done a lot to be proud of, too. I am hopeful that the growing community of environmentally-minded global citizens (many of them SFS alumni and students!) can collectively make a positive impact on our planet and safeguard our future not only for other humans but for our fellow animals (and plants!)
 

February 2018

Hannah Reich

I started the semester afraid of scuba diving after getting certified in murky, cold Massachusetts waters. My first dive in South Caicos was the antithesis of this experience and I immediately fell completely in love with diving and observing the vibrant intricate complexities of coral reefs.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks & Caicos Islands | Fall 2013
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Clark University
CURRENT POSITION: Ph.D. Candidate, Pennsylvania State University
 

Hannah is an alumnus of the SFS Turks and Caicos program (Fall 2013). Since SFS, she has continued her studies of coral reefs. She is currently a PhD Candidate in the Symbiosis Ecology and Evolution Laboratory (Penn State Biology Department) where her dissertation focuses on describing the importance of micronutrients in maintaining a healthy coral-algal symbiosis. Hannah returned to South Caicos in April 2017 to conduct research on South Caicos corals and to talk to the undergraduate group about her research.
 
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
I re-read the journal I kept while in South Caicos to try and do this question justice. I started the semester afraid of scuba diving after getting certified in murky, cold Massachusetts waters. My first dive in South Caicos was the antithesis of this experience and I immediately fell completely in love with diving and observing the vibrant intricate complexities of coral reefs. I was so mesmerized that I didn’t even realize my dive mask was completely fogged the entire time until my dive group laughed at me after.
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS? DID SFS CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
SFS was where I decided I would study coral reefs for my PhD. The day before I left South Caicos, I went on my final swim of the semester with my research mentor, Dr. Heidi Hertler. At the end, I cried as I thanked her for her contributions to my academic development, stated my SFS experience motivated me to pursue a PhD studying coral reefs, and gave her my Clark University swim cap. I haven’t changed my mind ever since! Stay tuned for an eventual longer blog post where I’ll do my best to eloquently describe how my SFS experience helped me blossom into a coral biologist.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Don’t be afraid to reach out to potential mentors and to have lots of them. Always find the best in them (and everybody else) and emulate it. You’ll learn a lot that way.
 
DESCRIBE A FAVORITE SPOT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS FOR EXPLORING AND/OR REFLECTION. WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS DURING YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
As a (former) competitive swimmer, coral biologist, scuba diver, and Rhode Island-er, water is a central part of my life. My all-time favorite spot for reflection is walking along the South Kingston Town Beach in Matunuck, Rhode Island. I have family ties to the area and grew up vacationing on this beach while simultaneously watching it erode due to climate change. As a student at SFS, my favorite outdoor routine (aside from the obvious scuba diving) was my afternoon swims with Heidi in the swim zone near the center. Many swims were complete with sunsets and delicious rice crispy treats for afternoon snack! During my most recent visit to South Caicos in April 2017, I enjoyed sunrise walks with my favorite potcake Lola. We’d walk to regatta beach and collect shells before breakfast.
 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?
The scientist in me wants to say the Seargant Major Fish, Abudefduf saxatilis because I’d be able to swim on the reef all day AND have the most fun scientific name to say! The rest of me wants to say a cat so it would be socially acceptable to sleep 12-16 hours a day. So, if you combine the two you get a mercat (mermaid-cat), which is the organism of my dreams!
 

February 2018

Elizabeth (Goulet) Imada

Because of SFS, I have the career I have today. After SFS, I knew for sure that I needed to be outside, not in a lab. Now, I spend my days in the field and help my community by doing so.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Sustainable Development Studies | Costa Rica | Spring 2011 (Manú)
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: University of San Diego
CURRENT POSITION: Environmental Specialist, San Diego Gas & Electric
 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST STRIKING SFS MEMORY?
It’s hard to pick one memory, but I think our visit to Palo Verde National Park was the most memorable. We saw incredible sunrise and sunsets, observed the most wildlife out of all of the places we traveled to, and woke up to capuchins jumping on the roof!
 
LOOKING BACK, WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR TIME AT SFS? DID SFS CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
Because of SFS, I have the career I have today. I knew I wanted to be a biologist but didn’t know that I wanted to be a field biologist until I spent a semester with SFS. After SFS, I knew for sure that I needed to be outside, not in a lab. Now, I spend my days in the field and help my community by doing so.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Take the leap, even if you think the possibility of not having wifi is scary. There’s way more beautiful and interesting things out there to see and do.
 
RECOMMEND A GREAT BOOK OR FILM THAT HAD AN INFLUENCE ON HOW YOU VIEW THE ENVIRONMENT.
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
 
IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL OR PLANT, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE?
I would be a redwood tree. They are magnificent and grow strong, tall, and live a very long time.
 

February 2018

Beth Alberts

Go for it! Be scared, be nervous, be apprehensive but do it anyway. Your limits will be tested. You will look back and realize that those were some of the most fulfilling times in your life.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Ecuador | Summer 1988
CURRENT POSITION: Science Teacher and College Counselor
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
It seems like a million years ago but I still remember clearly why I chose SFS. I wanted an adventure. I had been a serious and focused student throughout my life. I wanted to try something completely different and a little bit scary. At SFS, I was still serious and focused but I was also in the Amazonian Rain Forest ! Coming from San Francisco, that seemed just about as adventurous as life could get for a inner city kid.

At the time, I thought I was very, very brave. And it was different back then. I was literally cut off from contact with everyone I knew in the world. There were no phones, no computers, no fax machines, no connectivity. There were old-fashioned letters. But after having seen the only town in the area, I had lost all faith in any mail getting home. I was isolated and remote from everything I knew. And it was exactly what I wanted. As a result, I gained confidence in myself and an abiding trust in humanity. I have retained this trust throughout my life.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
I developed a love for Ecuador and its people. With that, came the much broader appreciation for the wisdom and knowledge of cultures throughout the world. Our human experience is incredibly diverse and amazing. There is always more to learn and there are so many brilliant teachers. I still carry many of them with me: Jaime who taught us about forest regeneration and the interdependence of jungle species. He was the coolest! Rocio who taught us about the foods, medicines and spiritual life of the local community. She read my palm and predicted my future. David who taught us how to run controlled experiments with little ”real” equipment and massive environmental factors that were always working against us – the heat, the mud, the wind, the rain, the mold! Alejandro, who taught us to look for signs of the big dangerous snakes when we were out in the field and painted us with achiote to honor and protect us. He lived in a house on stilts with no walls in the middle of paradise. These are only a few of the people who taught me and impressed me.

My fellow students from the United States were also amazing. I met adventurous, smart people from all over the country and from all different U.S. cultures.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
(See above. Really it was the people)
But my most lasting and impactful science memory was that my experiments were all INCONCLUSIVE! This created a paradigm shift for me. After all those years of reading about successful
experiment after successful experiment that led ‘seamlessly’ to our current scientific dogma and after all those high school and college labs that ‘worked’, I realized that the MAJORITY of SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS are FAILURES!

I spent countless hours, trying to figure out why there was no plant growth at the base of the Piperacea trees in the forest. I ran controlled experiment, after controlled experiment carefully testing the different possibilities. Nothing, nothing and nothing. I didn’t make any great discovery or even gain any insight into the question. I was seriously disappointed.

Now, I very consciously teach my own students that failed experiments are normal and expected. Successful experiments are rare. I challenge the science history found in textbooks. My students do ‘real’ experiments in my classes. They fail. They are inconclusive. But they always learn something. The focus becomes what next? What can we improve to make this experiment better? Scientific thinking is the basis for all my teaching. Experiencing real science is the thing I plan for. It is what engages my students as active learners.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Go for it! Be scared, be nervous, be apprehensive but do it anyway. Your limits will be tested. You will look back and realize that those were some of the most fulfilling times in your life.
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I am a science teacher and a college counselor in the public school system.
 
WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY ENTAIL ON A DAILY BASIS?
Every day, I work with high school students from varied backgrounds. I get to help them learn academically and plan for their futures. My job entails a lot of prepping, logistics, communication, love, support, patience, dedication and belief in the future. It also requires collaboration with other education professionals and community organizations. Everyday, there are hundreds of things that come at me that I have to deal with. I have to keep a class of 35 students engaged and on task, as I mull over what to do about a student who is in an inappropriate foster care situation. I have to respond to anxious parents as I write letters of recommendation for their children and collect data for the principal to take to the board meeting. I have to monitor the academic progress of my students who may not graduate, contact the Special Education teacher and grade yesterday’s science labs. Oh – and I have to pick up Elodea, crickets and soil for the lab rotations on Monday!
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
The SFS experience absolutely enriched my abilities to be an effective science teacher and contributed to where I ended up. I was exposed to teachers and students who were working off the grid, in the field. They were gritty and resourceful, engaged and curious. I wanted to bring that energy, determination and resourcefulness back to San Francisco for city kids to experience.
 
TELL US A SUCCESS STORY. WHAT IS ONE RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU’RE PROUD OF?
Most recently, I was hired to revise the remedial science curriculum for our school district. Students who fail science classes must take credit recovery classes after school, on Saturdays or in dreaded summer school. In the past, most of these “science” classes were textbook and worksheet-based. They were dreary and not very educational. You could hardly call them science classes. I had a budget and the freedom to redesign and implement a new curriculum. Now, these classes are hands-on, inquiry-based and student-centered. The teachers enjoy teaching the curriculum and the students prefer the active learning – even if they still have to go to summer school.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
Teaching is the most important job in the world and it is the most difficult job in the world. Teacher burnout is brutal and destructive to our society. Teachers need to be paid much, much more and the workload needs to be reduced. Most people can not financially afford to be teachers anymore and most drop out after a few short years of teaching. You can plan on that or you can commit to the long haul and make it work for you. If you are a science teacher, you have a great value to school communities. Figure out how to maximize your value. In order to remain a science teacher, I have had to negotiate and redefine myself to make it work for me. Otherwise, I would have dropped out a long time ago too. Find the right school community to work in. Look for collaborative, supportive, joyful learning environments. Find excellent mentor teachers and administrators who value teachers more than politics. Stay tough and stay gritty. Always bring love to the job.
 

July 2017

Bronwyn Llewellyn

The SFS program will challenge you and shape you, and you will never be the same again… but you will never look back!

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife Management Studies | Kenya | Spring 2003
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Mount Holyoke College
CURRENT POSITION: Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I wasn’t planning on studying abroad at all. I’d grown up overseas so didn’t feel I really needed the “international experience” and I was on a pre-vet track, which meant there were very few programs that offered the transferable science credits I would need to meet all the requirements. However, on the night of the study abroad fair on campus, I was hosting a prospective student and I offered to take her on a tour. When we reached the campus center, we popped into the fair for a few minutes. I will never forget turning the corner and seeing the big display with the photo of the giraffes silhouetted against the setting sun. I chatted with the SFS rep, and looked through the brochure and was immediately drawn to the Kenya program. Not only did it offer transferable science credits so I could still stay on the pre-vet track, the course description was exactly what I wanted to do with my life!
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
SO much!!! One of the most critical things I gained was an understanding of all the different career paths open to me. I had always been passionate about conservation, but only knew two ways I could pursue it – through research (PhD route) or, if I wanted to be hands on with wildlife, as a veterinarian (although I knew the chances of actually getting to work with wildlife were minuscule). Through the program I had the chance to meet so many people working on conservation from so many different walks of life! Sure there were vets and researchers, but there were also experts working for the big donors, such as the US government or World Bank, there were folks working for International NGOs, the UN, and local groups, and even diplomats engaged in conservation work. I also learned there were so many different ways to work on conservation, whether that be through fund-raising, community engagement, policy interaction, law enforcement, or park management. When I returned to my college I started to research graduate programs that would get me where I wanted to be, and discovered there were actually a lot!
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
There are many striking memories, but one of the most important was of sitting up on top of a huge outcropping of rocks listening to a lecture from one of our professors. He used the whole landscape behind him as his prop – no need for maps or PowerPoint when you could just point to the feature you are talking about! That perspective helped me see how everything is interconnected, and helped lead me into my later focus on Conservation Ecology – a discipline where you try to understand the bigger picture and how everything fits together with an eye to how best to conserve your target species or ecosystem.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
GO FOR IT!! The SFS program will challenge you and shape you, and you will never be the same again… but you will never look back!
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I am a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development. USAID is the lead U.S. Government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID carries out U.S. foreign policy by promoting broad-scale human progress at the same time it expands stable, free societies, creates markets and trade partners for the United States, and fosters good will abroad. USAID works in many sectors, including health, agriculture, democracy and governance, education, and environment. USAID’s environment programming covers a wide swath of issues from environmental compliance (making sure our other projects do not have negative environmental or social impacts), to urban planning, to water management, to energy production, to forestry, to climate change mitigation and adaptation, to biodiversity conservation.

As a USAID Environment Officer, I am the technical lead responsible for designing and managing programming that addresses these issues. I just left Nepal, where I was the Environment Team Leader, and am currently the Natural Resource Management and Water Team Leader for USAID/Tanzania. I lead a staff of four other technical experts in climate change, water sanitation and hygiene, community conservation, and wildlife trafficking to manage a series of activities that aim to help Tanzania better manage their natural resources, including wildlife, forests, and water to the greater benefit of the Tanzania people and the preservation of those resources for future generations.
 
WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY ENTAIL ON A DAILY BASIS?
Generally speaking, a lot of emailing, meetings, and report writing! As a steward of taxpayer dollars I spend a lot of my time ensuring that our money is being used efficiently and effectively, and reporting back to congress what is happening.

Of course, to do that well, I do have to get out to the field regularly to see first-hand what is happening on the ground! All the tedious meetings and hours on the computer become worth it when you are riding on the back of an elephant to see a grassland restoration project in Nepal and almost literally stumble over a tiger. Or you get to participate in an exercise to put satellite collars on Rhinos.Or you talk to a group of women in a marginalized community who are now making five times their previous annual salary through an activity that is also helping restore hundreds of hectares of forest. I also get to fund cutting-edge research, such as using DNA to track tigers, and meet with top scientists and explorers to learn what they are doing and see how we can include it in our programming.

Some people would prefer to be the researcher, or the person on the ground implementing the project, but I love having my bird’s eye view of the issues (going back to my memory of the lecture at SFS!). I have the opportunity to see the whole system, and work with local policy makers, implementers, and other donors, like other Embassies or the UN, to decide the strategic direction for conservation in the country, and potentially identify and fill important gaps. Designing the next generation of projects is probably my favorite part of the job.
 
DESCRIBE AN INTERESTING PROJECT YOU’VE WORKED ON IN YOUR CAREER.
In Nepal, USAID’s biggest project is called “Hariyo Ban”, which means “Green Forest” in Nepali. It covers an enormous swath of the country, including two landscapes: the Terai – the flat plains at the foot of the Himalayas where the rhinos and tigers live, and the Kali Gandaki River basin – which connects the high Himalayas to the Terai. Hariyo Ban has a budget of nearly $50 million USD ($40 million from USAID and $10 million in matching funds) over 5 years.

Climate change is an enormous problem in Nepal, where the effects are visible and tangible. Within the Kali Gandaki basin you have the dual problems of glaciers disappearing, leaving mountain communities without access to water, and increased flooding from changing Monsoon patterns in the lowlands. Compounding all this is steadily rising temperatures, driving species up stream in search of cooler climates. Unfortunately the Kali Gandaki has not been historically managed to help facilitate connectivity between protected areas, and there are lots of gaps in the forest. Also, the poorest of the poor – landless marginalized groups – are almost entirely reliant on the forest for survival, and their few other livelihoods options are extremely vulnerable to climate change.

Enter Hariyo Ban. One of the virtues of having a large project is that you can take a comprehensive look at a landscape, even one as vast as the Kali Gandaki Basin. They identified areas where there were bottlenecks to biodiversity connectivity as well as where the most vulnerable people lived. Not surprisingly most of these are the same areas! There they work with Nepali Government Officials, community forest user groups, local decision makers, and the poor themselves to find ways to regrow forest, pull people out of poverty, and improve local community access and management of forest resources. It sounds like a tall order, but they have been extremely successful!
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
Absolutely! I didn’t have a clear understanding of what my options were for working in international conservation before Kenya. My time at SFS really opened my eyes to what I could do, and how, and led me to pursue my Masters of Environmental Management.

It also more directly led to me getting my first job with World Wildlife Fund – my on-the-ground experience in East Africa was considered a major plus to the hiring committee. After my first Washington DC based WWF contract ended I got another offer to work on the Coastal East Africa initiative, a project that covered Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Again, the fact that I had lived in Kenya previously was a huge help in convincing my bosses that I was up for the job.

The WWF experiences paved the way for me to join USAID, so you could say I first stepped foot on my path to being a diplomat when I stepped off that plane in Kenya!
 
ARE YOU PROFESSIONALLY CONNECTED TO OTHER SFS FOLKS?
Yes! At my first job at WWF, there were a number of people who had attended different SFS sessions, and I’ve also run into a few within USAID. I’m also connected to all of my SFS classmates, and they are all doing amazing things – many directly linked to their time in Kenya.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
I took a fairly straight path from SFS to where I am now. I didn’t take a break between undergrad and grad school, and my career since grad school has steadily built until here. If I could do it again, I probably wouldn’t change anything in terms of what I studied, but I might have taken a bit more time. Peace Corps would have been a fantastic option post undergrad to get more international experience, and to take a bit of a mental break from academia.

My other piece of advice is that the Masters of Environmental Management degree that I got at Duke (and there are many similar programs around the country) is really perfect for this kind of work. While you study a lot of hard science as part of the degree, the purpose is not to pursue the science yourself, but to be able to understand it and interpret it for decision and policy makers. You also, in turn, learn how to understand policy and interpret it for practitioners. This skill is extremely valuable whether you work for an NGO, a government organization, or a company, either in the US or overseas.

Note: The contents of this article are the responsibility of Bronwyn Llewellyn and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
 

October 2016

Carrie Jenks

A semester with SFS will transform the way you think and the way you view global environmental issues. My experience at SFS shaped my education and the courses I elected in college, and it taught me to examine a problem from multiple angles.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Mexico Fall 1994 | Turks & Caicos Islands Spring 1995
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Harvard College
CURRENT POSITION: Senior Vice President, M.J. Bradley & Associates
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I wanted to find a program that allowed me to travel while also learning marine biology. I had been interested in environmental policy, and the SFS programs considered all the factors that affect environmental issues—the biology/ecology; human nature; politics; and economics.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
I learned how to approach complex problems and appreciate all aspects of the debate. For example, my Directed Research project in the Turks and Caicos focused on the spiny lobster and conch fisheries. The less complicated part of the project assessed the health of the fishery; the harder challenge was understanding what solutions were reasonable given the historic practices and economic needs of the fishermen.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
In the TCI, it’s diving along the wall, the peacefulness of each dive, and the beauty of night dives…In Mexico, I will always remember camping on the beach. For both semesters, the feeling of experiencing the environment without the more obvious impacts of tourism was a unique experience for me.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Go! A semester with SFS will transform the way you think and the way you view global environmental issues.
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I work at M.J. Bradley & Associates (MJB&A), which is a consulting firm that provides strategic and technical advisory services to address energy and environmental matters including: energy policy, regulatory compliance, emission markets, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced technologies. Our clients include electric and natural gas utilities, major transportation fleet operators, clean technology firms, environmental groups, and government agencies.
 
MJB&A coordinates initiatives, outreach, and advocacy efforts, and provides administrative and technical services for the Clean Energy Group (CEG), which is a coalition of electric generating and electric distribution companies that share a commitment to responsible environmental stewardship. On an average day, I may coordinate public comments from the coalition to EPA or meet with EPA to discuss the group’s feedback on a specific regulation.
 
Right now we are working to understand and evaluate EPA’s proposed regulations of existing power plants’ greenhouse gas emissions. This is a complex but interesting regulation that has the potential to deliver meaningful emission reductions, and we are working with our clients to understand how best to drive cost-effective investments in clean energy within the legal parameters of the Clean Air Act so that the regulation can withstand the inevitable legal challenges.
 
WHAT ARE THE TWO MOST ESSENTIAL SKILLS THAT GOT YOU TO YOUR POSITION?
Listening well and being willing to jump into a new issue based on a client’s need.
 
HOW DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
My experience at SFS shaped my education and the courses I elected in college, and it taught me to examine a problem from multiple angles. I often run into issues in my current work where stakeholder groups are looking at a problem with only one viewpoint. If we can step back and understand the various perspectives involved, a better solution can often arise.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
The skills you learn at SFS can be applied through a variety of jobs. I have found that the key for me is finding interesting work that can continue to evolve. It is possible to work with companies to capture business opportunities that also benefit the environment.
 

June 2014

Ben Goldfarb

I came to understand the fundamentals of research, and developed a profound appreciation for the mental and sometimes physical rigor that goes into conducting a field study or experiment.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Australia | Fall 2007
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Amherst College
CURRENT POSITION: Freelance Journalist
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
Unlike most SFS students, I completely lacked scientific experience — let alone field experience — when I applied in 2007. I was an English major, and my only exposure to ecology was the occasional book by E.O. Wilson or David Quammen. Still, I loved the outdoors and particularly wildlife, and I longed to surround myself in nature (maybe I’d read too much Thoreau). SFS Australia was the most remote study-abroad program I could find. I’m proof that, with some intellectual curiosity and hard work, you can succeed at SFS no matter your academic background.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
First, I gained familiarity with all kinds of vital scientific concepts: the ecological perils of habitat fragmentation and isolation; the value of wildlife corridors; the process of forest succession, and so on. I also became part of a wonderful likeminded community, and made friendships that I still value today. Perhaps most importantly, however, I came to understand the fundamentals of research, and developed a profound appreciation for the mental and sometimes physical rigor that goes into conducting a field study or experiment. I think laypeople — and I was certainly a layperson before SFS — think of science as something that happens in hygienic labs flooded with fluorescent light, conducted by people wearing white coats and latex gloves. I discovered that many scientists are more comfortable decked out in rain pants, covered in mud, and wielding a wrench. Setting up a study requires all kinds of problem-solving skills, many of them mechanical — how do you attach this radio-tag? measure this transect? fix the coffeemaker at 3 am? — and the best scientists have a good bit of engineer in them. As someone who writes about scientists every day, I’ve benefited from being able to talk intelligently and empathetically about just how dang hard fieldwork can be.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
For my final project, I took part in a study that examined how bats use rainforest habitat. The fundamental challenge, of course, is that bats are nocturnal; lacking a budget for radio-tags, how the heck do you follow a bat through a pitch-black jungle at 2 am? Jess Wallace, our professor, devised an ingenious solution: Using a biodegradable adherent, we stuck tiny green glowsticks to the backs of captive bats, then turned them loose. Picture a half-dozen 20-year-olds charging through dense rainforest, their eyes fixed on a tiny green speck bobbing in utter blackness, their headlamp beams swinging wildly in pursuit, vaulting over red-bellied black snakes and dodging stinging trees, shouting out “canopy!” or “understory!” to another student striving desperately to simultaneously record data and keep up, everyone drenched in mud and pin-cushioned with thorns. It was beautiful, delirious mayhem. I’d never had so much fun.
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I’m a freelance journalist who covers science and the environment, with a focus on wildlife conservation and fisheries management. I’ve written for a variety of publications, including Scientific American, Orion Magazine, High Country News, The Guardian, Earth Island Journal, and many others. In the last couple years I’ve covered enough species to fill a zoo — grizzly bears, salmon, wolverines, salamanders, bison, beavers, sea turtles, and lamprey, to name a few. It’s a blast.
 
WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY ENTAIL ON A DAILY BASIS?
I spend my days trolling through the scientific literature, combing the tsunami of press releases that crash in my inbox, and perusing local newspapers in search of important stories the national press is missing. Primarily I’m looking for new studies or topics that might pique the interest of my editors and readers. I don’t do a lot of straight “gee-whiz” science reporting; much as I revere the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, I prefer covering research with practical applications — for instance, how might this new technique for extracting DNA from scat help us protect mountain lions? I often have the opportunity to accompany scientists or government officials into the field; in the past year, my reporting has taken me to Alaska, Montana, Olympic National Park, Lake Tahoe, the Grand Canyon, and the Bahamas. You can learn a lot over the phone; still, nothing beats a high-quality field experience.
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
Absolutely! In college, I knew I wanted to write; like many wandering English majors, however, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to write about. SFS inspired my passion for biodiversity conservation and helped me channel my journalistic ambitions in a particular direction. Cheesy though it sounds, my path was settled a couple weeks into my SFS experience, the moment I first held a bat — its body warm, soft, trembling, and impossibly fragile in my hands. In that instant, I understood the true meaning of conservation — that animals are beings of flesh and blood, not just abstract numbers on a graph or providers of vague “ecosystems services” — and I knew that in some capacity I would devote my life to wildlife.
 
In 2013, I received a grant from the Solutions Journalism Network to write a series of stories about the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, or Y2Y, a 2,000-mile-long wildlife corridor that link up parks and protected areas throughout the Northern Rockies. The concept that underpins Y2Y — that isolated parks can’t meet the ecological needs of many species, and that corridors between habitat patches can help creatures migrate, mate, find food, and connect with other sub-populations — was one that I learned about during my time at SFS.
 
I vividly recall touring the properties of dairy ranchers and seeing these thin strips of green, often following riparian areas, that ran from one forest patch to another. The concept captured my imagination, and upon my return to college I set about researching other wildlife corridors, including Y2Y. Six years later, that long-term fascination became a grant and a two-month reporting trip through the Northern Rockies. Subsequently, I published stories about habitat connectivity in Orion Magazine, Earth Island Journal, Modern Farmer, Medium, Conservation Magazine, and other outlets. Reflecting upon those stories, I’m struck by how SFS shaped and informed them. Yes, I’m writing about grizzly bears on the prairies of Alberta and wolverines in the mountains of Montana, but I’m deploying fundamental conservation principles that I first encountered applied to cassowaries and tree kangaroos in Australian rainforest.
 
ARE YOU PROFESSIONALLY CONNECTED TO OTHER SFS FOLK?
Yes! Back in 2014, I was writing a story about salmon habitat restoration in the Columbia River Basin, and a couple of biologists took me out to see some projects in the Deschutes River. We went to inspect a fish weir manned by a few technicians, one of whom looked vaguely familiar from afar. Which she lifted her head, I realized that she was a fellow SFSer who’d collaborated on the bat project in Australia. To the confusion of the other biologists, we embraced on the riverbank, marveling at the serendipity of it all. Over dinner she offered some invaluable wisdom that helped inform the story. Hopefully those kinds of propitious coincidences will become more common as my SFS friends depart graduate school and advance through the ranks of academia and conservation.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
For starters, read constantly — not just scientific studies, but ecology’s representation in popular literature. Caroline Fraser’s Rewilding the World, David Quammen’s Song of the Dodo, and Jon Mooallem’s Wild Ones are indispensable additions to any conservation writer’s book shelf. It’s true that the current media landscape is a challenging one — rates are low, newspapers are dying, and myriad writers are competing for the same gigs. At the same time, the web has allowed an incredible diversity of new publications to flourish, all of which are hungry for new writers. (For details on how to break into those magazines and journals, check out a blog post I wrote in 2015 for Canadian Science Publishing.)
 
If you’re a scientist yourself, consider starting out by writing op-eds and dispatches about your own research, and the work of your friends, perhaps in a campus publication; then parlay those writing samples, or “clips” — your currency as a writer — into an internship or additional freelancing opportunities. It’s not the easiest career path in the world, but it’s among the most rewarding — and heck, the academic job market is pretty tough too! Science writing is certainly in flux, but in some ways there’s never been a more exciting time to break in.
 
Finally, if you’re a recent alumni seeking writing advice, or an older one interested in gaining some thoughtful, conscientious media coverage for your research, or if you just want to chat about media and conservation you can reach me at ben.a.goldfarb@gmail.com, or on Twitter at @ben_a_goldfarb. Looking forward to hearing from you!
 

January 2016

Jacalyn Beck

The people I met and worked with were so passionate about finding solutions to their wildlife conflict issues that I was absolutely inspired to help them achieve that goal, and have been ever since.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife Management Studies | Kenya and Tanzania | Fall 2010
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Penn State University
CURRENT POSITION: Graduate student, Michigan State University, Studying the ecology of carnivores and their prey
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I chose SFS because it was the only program that offered a complete immersive experience in the region where I hoped to study. I wanted to get off the beaten path and get to know East Africa in a way that a typical tourist or student couldn’t. I wanted a program that not only allowed me to study under accomplished local scientists but also challenged me to conduct my own research and contribute meaningfully to larger scientific goals. SFS gave me that and so much more. Instead of reading about wildlife ecology, natural resource management, and policy from a book, I experienced it and learned about it first hand through interviews with community members, meetings with local government, outreach opportunities, and countless trips in the field. I felt like there was never a wasted moment. SFS was everything I had hoped it would be and yet more than I could have ever imagined.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
It’s truly impossible to pick! I could write a novel with all the amazing memories I made during my time with SFS. But what I really believe was most profound is not a memory at all, but a feeling. The thing I cherish over all else is the complete sense of excitement and contentment that pervaded everything we did during the program. Yes, there were times of stress while studying or collecting data, of course there were moments I felt tired or confused or frustrated over some small thing. But really there was never a time in my life when I felt happier or more alive than I did during those months in Kenya and Tanzania. It was the sense of family I built with others in the program, the acceptance and love I felt from the community and staff, the sense of accomplishment in the work I was a part of. As our then-director Dr. Moses Okello would say, “my cup of joy was overflowing!”
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
I would tell every prospective SFS student to never give up on themselves or their goals. SFS students are ambitious, curious, and compassionate. They are the type of people who chase dreams and change the world. If that describes you, then never lose sight of that despite life’s many challenges and setbacks. If you hold onto your passions, work hard, and never settle, you cannot fail.
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I am a Ph.D. student at Michigan State University. I work in the RECaP Lab (Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey — http://www.recaplaboratory.com/) alongside some of the best scientists I have ever met. Together we work to study predator-prey interactions and support the conservation of species all around the globe. The two main ecosystems we currently focus on are the Cleveland Metroparks where we investigate how carnivores and their prey thrive in an urban landscape, and Eastern Africa where our research efforts span from giraffe skin disease to lion depredation of livestock to illegal snaring of predators.

Currently, what I do is all preparatory. I began working towards my Ph.D. last fall (2016) and have spent the last two semesters taking a few classes, grant writing, and planning my research. I was recently awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship through the National Science Foundation (NSF GRFP). This was my third attempt at the grant and final year of eligibility. So to finally achieve it on my last try means so much. This is a huge honor and gives me a leg up as I pursue my lion research over the coming years. With this award I am more ready than ever to get back to Africa and get to work!

I will be heading to Tanzania this summer to start the first phase of my study. This will entail direct collaboration with local herders, conducting focal animal observations on the behavior of cattle and other livestock, and collecting data on the biotic and abiotic factors driving direct and indirect interaction between lions and cattle. The main focus this summer will be to investigate the ways in which cows may alter their behavior in locations of high predation risk. This work will be the basis of my dissertation research overall as I dig deeper into how individual variation in behavior plays a role in human-carnivore conflict. I will continue this theme over the next several years by collaring, following, and monitoring the fine-scale movement patterns and behaviors of all individuals within a lion pride. I hope to gain new insight into the ecology of predator-prey interaction that may lead to decreased conflict in the region.
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
Absolutely! I always knew I wanted to work with large carnivores and have been passionate about studying African species since college. My time at SFS Kenya/Tanzania, however, really opened my eyes to the human aspects of wildlife management in the region. The people I met and worked with were so passionate about finding solutions to their wildlife conflict issues that I was absolutely inspired to help them achieve that goal, and have been ever since. After leaving Africa in 2010, I worked continuously to build the skills and experiences necessary to qualify me to take on this role as a professional scientist. Now, as a Ph.D. student, I will be doing just that.

And SFS continues to support my efforts and contribute to where I am headed. I will be working in collaboration with Dr. Bernard Kissui (who now holds the title of director at SFS Tanzania, and who was my professor of wildlife management when I attended the program) and the Tarangire Lion Project that he heads. Sharing data and resources with Dr. Kissui and SFS is an integral part of my research design. My partnership with SFS not only influences my success as a graduate student, but also my own sense of personal accomplishment. I am extremely proud to be an SFS alumna and to continue my work with the program!
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
SFS alumni looking to start a Ph.D. should remember to try to be patient. As with the current job market, there are more qualified people pursuing graduate education than there are openings. Be persistent and be professional. Do not get discouraged. Occasionally, all the pieces fall into place and the path leading to a PhD is clear. But more likely, it will require a whole lot of time, effort, and patience on your part.
 

April 2017

Kate Mansfield

Aside from improving my SCUBA skills, I learned so many field sampling techniques, and particularly underwater techniques. That really helped me when I was applying for internships and jobs after college.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Marine Resource Studies | Turks & Caicos Islands | Spring 1991
CURRENT POSITION: Marine Scientist and Sea Turtle Biologist at the University of Central Florida
 

Dr. Kate Mansfield and her team have published a paper in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on the whereabouts of baby sea turtles during their “lost years”—the time spent between hatching on the beach and adolescence, when they turn up again in the waters around the Azores and Madeira.

To track the tiny turtles through the open ocean, they developed a clever (and safe) solar-powered transmitter tag that allowed for long-term monitoring (of up to 220 days!). Satellite mapping showed fast speeds in the currents of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre and stop-offs in the Sargasso Sea.

Read more on the study here.

How did an SFS experience contribute to Kate’s education and her career as a marine biologist? Read our interview below!
 
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I learn best when I’m not sitting at a desk or expected to regurgitate information. I knew I was interested in marine biology and management and wanted to get some hands-on experience. My college had a great Biology program, but at the time, they didn’t offer classes that focused on marine science. SFS helped fill that gap!
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
I have so many memories from the SFS program on South Caicos! I used to really enjoy watching the ocean around the time of sunset when all of the spotted eagle rays would jump out of the water. Our class also had the fun opportunity to meet and interact with Jacques Mayol, the famous free diver. He brought his home movies to show the students and then would swim with us in the mornings (I think some of the students challenged him to a race, but he outswam everyone).
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
Field skills. Aside from improving my SCUBA skills, I learned so many field sampling techniques, particularly underwater sampling techniques, which really helped me when I was applying for internships and jobs after college and even after I received my Master’s degree.
 
ARE YOU PROFESSIONALLY CONNECTED TO OTHER SFS FOLKS?
A couple of my collaborators on a turtle tagging project in Brazil were SFS instructors and interns on South Caicos after I was there as a student. Small world!
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
Build up strong field (or laboratory) skills—this is what helps make you marketable to field-based programs. Gain “life experience”, too. When considering taking on graduate students, I look for those who have more practical “outside of the classroom” experience.
 

April 2017

Anna Menke

SFS definitely affirmed my passion for environmental sustainability and inspired me to pursue a career in the environmental world. I work for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on the EDF+Business team.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Sustainable Development Studies | Costa Rica | Summer 2014
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Princeton University
CURRENT POSITION: Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I chose the SFS Costa Rica program because it was a perfect marriage of my interests in international development, environmental sustainability, and Latin American culture. As a varsity athlete at Princeton I was not able to study abroad during the school year, but it was something I really wanted to do. SFS was a perfect opportunity to use my summer to complement my studies while also exploring a new place.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
I gained tangible field research skills that helped me build my resume for the internship I would apply to the following summer. I also gained a deep passion for Latin American culture and an affirmed sense that sustainability and environmental policy were areas I wanted to continue to focus on, both academically and in my work, going forward. The other intangible thing I gained was some really close friendships. I still keep in good touch with one friend from SFS and intermittently catch up with other friends from the program. The program broadened my network outside of Princeton, which I am very thankful for.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
Our class spent three days in the small rural town of El Sur, Costa Rica. During the time, we conducted research for our final independent papers. I had elected to research a social science question about internal human migration and urbanization due to environmental changes. I conducted interviews and administered surveys. I have some very distinct memories of the local people I talked to and the profound curiosity I had for learning about other people’s perception of and interaction with their environment. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the beginning of me figuring out why the environment was uniquely interesting to me. I cared about human interactions with the environment.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT
Go! My experience at SFS gave me so much confidence, independence and perspective on the world outside my small college bubble. That being said, going for an SFS program isn’t enough. Push yourself beyond the bounds of your comfort zone while you are there, if you just hang out with other students in the program you are missing an opportunity. Get to know people who live and work in the area.  Work hard – don’t just aim to get by. Appreciate the opportunity to be somewhere else, it is one not everyone has.
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I work for the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on the EDF+Business team. My boss and I are working to engage leading US corporations in federal climate and energy policy issues. Our aim is to motivate US companies to advocate for climate and energy policy. Our theory of change is predicated on the belief that in order to overcome the argument that climate policies will hurt the economy, we need to get the biggest drivers of our economy to verbalize their support for these policies, framing climate policy as a solution in which both the economy and the environment can thrive.

Currently, my boss and I work with a broad range of fortune 500 companies engaging them in various conversations and advocacy efforts. A lot my work day to day involves researching these corporations and their past history with and positioning on climate and clean energy policies. This includes understanding their lobbying giving to various lawmakers and PACs, their presence in various trade associations and their commitments to sustainability targets such as greenhouse gas reductions. When I am not doing this due-diligence research, I am in meetings or on calls with these companies and with other NGOs and stakeholders discussing ways to work together to better advocate for climate and clean energy, through targeted outreach to Congress or strategic op-eds and thought leadership pieces.
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
SFS definitely affirmed my passion for environmental sustainability and inspired me to pursue a career in the environmental world.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
Experience matters!  If you care about something get out there and get experience however you can by volunteering, an internship or shadowing someone. You are going to have to work hard to find the right job for you in the environmental world, there is no linear path. Don’t be afraid to ask people about what they’re doing and how they got into it. This can give you a great sense of the types of jobs that are actually out there.
 

March 2017

Claudia Polsky

I not only learned an enormous amount of science, but I found that I really retained it, because it was so grounded in direct, multi-sensory experiences.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Acid Rain & Limnology, Adirondacks – New York, NY – Summer 1983 | Volcanic Geology, Mt. Vesuvius – Italy – Summer 1984
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Harvard University
CURRENT POSITION: Director, Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I was drawn to the summer programs that SFS offered because I wanted to try environmental field science. I had always loved science, and loved the outdoors, but had never had the opportunity to combine the two by studying and doing empirical scientific work in the real world rather than a school lab.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
I gained so much from my SFS programs that it’s hard to know where to begin. I not only learned an enormous amount of science, but I found that I really retained it, because it was so grounded in direct, multi-sensory experiences: when I think about lake acidification, I remember trying to do accurate titrations with leaves falling into our sample beakers, and fighting to get an accurate water visibility reading with a secchi disc from a wind-tossed inflatable boat.  When I think about dodecahedral crystal forms in volcanic rocks at Mount Vesuvius, I remember how those hot black volcanic rocks also helped us melt fresh mozzarella and tomatoes for our incredible rustic lunches atop the volcano.

I also learned a huge amount from my fellow students.  In particular, during the SFS program I did right after high school, I became close friends with two older female geology majors, whose influence steered me to study geology in college.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
From my program studying acid rain in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, I remember a lesson on aquatic chemistry that we had while dangling our feet in a clear mountain stream. Talking about pH and various rocks’ differential buffering capacity with our toes in the relevant ecosystem really made an impression on me, and I think also helped me grasp some new chemistry concepts.

From my program studying the explosive patterns of Mount Vesuvius to help predict future eruptions, I remember an extraordinary night our crew spent atop the active volcano Stromboli, recording its eruptive frequency, but mostly just being awed by the beauty and miracle of watching fiery eruptions up close against a pitch-black sky. I can still hear the sizzle of the lava as it slid downslope to its quenching in the Mediterranean.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Throw yourself into everything – the physicality of the projects (some of ours were quite strenuous), the difficulty of the journal articles you’ll read, the diversity of your team mates, the language of the country you visit. There are few things you will do in life that will give you the opportunity to learn and stretch across so many dimensions at once.
 
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER IN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW. WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I’ve spent my whole career as an environmental professional, with the past 20 years of it as an environmental lawyer working for nonprofits and government agencies.

Over the past decade I’ve been deeply involved in helping California develop a regulatory system for addressing toxic chemicals in consumer products. My involvement has taken many forms, from living room strategy sessions with environmental activists to a stint directing a Pollution Prevention and Green Chemistry program at our state toxics agency. The part I most enjoyed, however, was working with a team of scientists, lawyers, and policymakers over a couple-year period to draft a complex and comprehensive set of product regulations and try to make them as defensible as possible in light of anticipated industry attack. I felt like we were charting new and important ground, doing something that was both intellectually and practically challenging, and had real-world impact. This spring, Congress finally overhauled the very outdated Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976; this was an implicit recognition that California and other states had gotten way ahead of our national government in addressing toxics exposures.

During the same period that I was working on macro-level toxics issues, I was pursuing a variety of legal angles to address a very specific exposure threat: the emission of semi-volatile chemical flame retardant chemicals from upholstered furniture, which are known carcinogens and also increasingly demonstrated to be neurotoxins, and turn out to be one of the big indoor air quality threats in our homes. I was ultimately able to both advise the California agency that promulgates fire retardancy standards as it reworked its regulations to obviate the need for manufacturers to include toxic flame retardants in household furniture, and to represent that agency in litigation to defend its new regulations successfully in the face of challenge from the flame retardant industry.

In late 2015, I was able to buy a couch for my new office that was among the first couches sold since the mid-1970s in my state that did not contain toxic flame retardants. I feel victorious every time I sit on it!  And grateful for the opportunity to work on issues that affect human health and the environment very directly.

I now direct the Environmental Law Clinic at UC Berkeley School of Law, where I’m helping to train a next generation of environmental public interest and public-sector lawyers. Clinical law teaching involves a combination of academic instruction and hands-on legal projects for real clients. In that way, it’s very much like SFS – experiential rather than abstract learning. In a given day, I might teach a seminar on persuasive legal writing, meet with student teams working on projects related to water pollution or global warming, and then work on a conference presentation related to toxic chemical exposures, which is one of my main areas of expertise.
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
Very directly. SFS definitely deepened my environmental issue knowledge, interest, and career commitment. But as important, it made clear to me that although I’m fascinated by science, I don’t actually enjoy empirical scientific work – when I read scientific journal articles, I am always interested in the abstract and the conclusions, but really glaze over reading about methods. Figuring out through SFS that I wanted to have an environmental career that involved working on science-intensive issues and working with scientific experts, but not do the science myself, was very helpful in steering me towards a career in environmental law and policy.
 
ARE YOU CONNECTED TO OTHER SFS ALUMNI?
Yes, I’ve maintained close friendships with two tent-mates from my SFS summers: we are still in touch after 30 years, and have enriched each others’ lives in many ways.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
Environmental work is incredibly varied, and all of its variants are necessary to confront the daunting planetary challenges before us. Along the route to becoming an environmental lawyer, I seriously considered environmental science and environmental journalism, and also spent several years doing land conservation work for The Nature Conservancy. It may take some experimentation to figure out where the tasks you like to do, the skills you have, and the type of impact you’d like to make all converge; programs like SFS are fantastic for letting you explore a number of permutations and find a good fit.
 

August 2016

Courtenay Cabot Venton

There is nothing better than experiential learning, and my program was a perfect mix of classroom studies and extensive field work.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Mexico | Fall 1994
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Northwestern University
CURRENT POSITION: Environmental Economist
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
I have always been an environmentalist at heart. When I was in high school, I ran the environmental club, and I quickly realized that one of the best ways to get people to protect the environment – particularly in the private sector – was to articulate the economic benefits of doing so. So in college I majored in economics. While Northwestern had an excellent economics department, I really wanted to do environmental economics and the head of my program let me design an environmental focus. One part of that was studying in Baja, Mexico with SFS.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
I gained so much from my experience, and I still wish that I could go back in time. There is nothing better than experiential learning, and my program was a perfect mix of classroom studies and extensive field work. There is something truly unique as well about living and working with your peers, 24 hours a day. It creates incredible bonding moments, but it also really teaches you to work it out when you have a difficulty with someone, and to really get to know people who come from all different backgrounds, interests, etc.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
Swimming with a whale shark and rescuing a humpback with a net covering its head!
 
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR WORK?
I am an environmental economist. After college, I worked for a U.S. based consultancy focused on U.S. environmental policy. After I did my masters, I wanted to shift to more international development work, and I started working in developing countries.

You can’t work on environmental issues in developing countries without working on poverty reduction. Most of my work focuses on helping donors and aid agencies (UN, USAID, etc) to figure out what is working, and what is not, when it comes to poverty reduction. A lot of my work has focused on evaluating different types of interventions –water, health, livelihoods, etc – to determine those that are having the biggest impact for every dollar spent on poverty reduction. More recently, my work has focused heavily on humanitarian aid, specifically addressing the economic case for early response to crises.

My days are either spent at my desk, or in the field. When I am at my desk, I am usually on the phone for the morning with colleagues in Africa and Asia, and my afternoons are focused on analysis and writing. When I am in the field, I am either sitting under a tree discussing poverty and the impact of various interventions with community members, or in the capital city working with government and donor counterparts. My work has taken me all over the world – across Asia, Africa and South America.
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
100%. My love for being in the field has been heavily influenced by my time in Mexico with SFS.
 
DESCRIBE AN INTERESTING PROJECT YOU’VE WORKED ON.
A few years ago I was asked to evaluate an approach to poverty reduction in Ethiopia. Self Help Groups (SHGs) are groups of 15-20 people – mostly women – who come together to save, invest in small businesses, and support each other and their communities. By saving together they are able to lend to each other for small business activities. But more importantly, by working collectively, the women feel empowered to create change in their communities. What’s more, the approach tends to go viral once seeded, with existing groups helping to set up new groups.

Determined to do something more, I pulled together a team and we collectively developed an app that would help facilitators to strengthen and spread the Self Help Group model. The app is designed for the facilitators of the groups, and digitizes the weekly content that they use to run a meeting, We could see the potential for an app to help to deepen and strengthen the spread of the approach.

At the time, I had no idea where this would lead, or if we would be successful. With seed funding from private donors, we started small and developed a prototype. That led to catalytic funding from the U.K. government. Three years in, we have funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a vision for a digital platform to help scale the Self Help Group approach globally.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
The best advice that I was ever given was that nothing you do is a waste of time. My path in my work has not been linear – I spent some time buying and selling companies for Ernst & Young! But everything that I have done has given me skills that translate through to whatever project I am working on. I have used my experiences from E&Y to build financial models for green technologies, for example, and the negotiating skills that I learned have been invaluable. So don’t be afraid to try something new or different. It can only open your mind to different ways of looking at a problem.

Learn More about Courtenay’s Work in Reducing Poverty Worldwide
 

April 2017

Mary Cobb

I think study abroad programs in general really push students to be a little more independent, self-reliant, and aware of the world, and SFS definitely allowed me to do that.

 
SFS PROGRAM: Wildlife Ecology and Management | Kenya | Fall 1996
HOME SCHOOL WHILE AT SFS: Bellarmine College
CURRENT POSITION: Director of a refugee resettlement office
 

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SFS AS A STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM?
SFS was appealing to me because of the unique campus locations (Kenya!) compared to other study abroad options and the really specialized focus on ecology and natural resource management that I was interested in.
 
WHAT DID YOU GAIN FROM YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE?
So much! Great friends, of course. Amazing memories and adventures, and the chance to thoroughly explore a part of the world most people never get the chance to see. I think study abroad programs in general really push students to be a little more independent, self-reliant, and aware of the world, and SFS definitely allowed me to do that. I also learned a tremendous amount in the classroom as well as outside the courses. Not just the science, but aspects of anthropology, social and cultural themes, the importance of putting local people’s perspective front and center when trying to help solve a problem, and even language skills. Some of the other students and I really worked hard to learn as much Swahili has possible. I’ve used MANY of my SFS lessons throughout my career and still do today.
 
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PROFOUND OR LASTING MEMORY FROM YOUR SFS PROGRAM?
There are many. Everything from game drives to our directed research projects to making great friends with other students from all over the country. A lot of my most vivid memories are not really of specific events but of feelings I had in certain moments, like pitching a tent under the most unbelievable sunset I have ever seen before or since, watching a cheetah chase its prey, and quiet early morning birding walks with my friends.
 
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A PROSPECTIVE SFS STUDENT?
Go for it! There is really no other experience like this. You’ll be inspired by everything: your surroundings, the staff and instructors and other students, and the travel and discovery. But it’s not just travel, because you’ll get to know that place better than you could just travelling there on your own. And, you’ll get college credit. What’s not to love?
 
WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT JOB ENTAIL ON A DAILY BASIS?
Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their country because of persecution, war, or violence. Each year, the federal government selects a small percentage of the world’s refugees and – after a long screening and vetting process – invites them to permanently resettle in the United States. Refugees are authorized to work right away and have a path to citizenship, so they’re on a good path, but they are starting their lives all over again, which is a huge effort, and the role of a resettlement agency is to help them through that process. We assist with everything a newcomer family needs to get settled, from meeting them at the airport, setting up a home, cultural orientation and English language training, connecting to local medical and social services, enrolling the kids in school, helping with job preparation/job search, etc. so that they can become self-sufficient here in the US. These families have gone through circumstances I can only imagine, but most are so resilient and do amazingly well here; within several months of arriving they are working, getting around on their own, kids are thriving in school, making friends, and the parents feel like they are finally safe and able to provide for their families.

Normal days could include anything from meeting with clients in the office or on a home visit to see how they are settling in, helping set up an apartment for someone about to arrive, writing service plans and reports or for our funders, speaking with community groups about refugees and how they can help, fundraising, budgeting, promoting our programs through media or social media, helping staff troubleshoot problems, etc. No two days are the same.
 
DID YOUR SFS EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTE TO WHERE YOU ENDED UP?
Absolutely. SFS was really a major step for me on a career path focused on international development and humanitarian work. It sort of opened the door to the world in some ways. During my SFS semester, some classmates and I happened to meet a Peace Corps Volunteer living in the most beautiful countryside in Uganda. I was enthralled with the idea of having my own hut somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa for 2 years. So I did it. I applied for Peace Corps not long after returning from SFS, and left for Lesotho (southern Africa) on my college graduation day. From there I completed a master’s degree, focused on international issues, and then joined the foreign service as a USAID officer. After many years of that in several countries, I decided to come back to work on community development and social issues at home. I never thought I would get the chance to work with international/humanitarian-related issues back in Kentucky, so when an opportunity in refugee resettlement arose and I jumped at it. Bonus: I get to use the Swahili that I learned at SFS! Although I didn’t ultimately pursue wildlife ecology as a profession, the lessons that SFS taught me about looking at problems from different perspectives, honoring local perspectives, and working with people have all been valuable throughout my career.
 
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER SFS ALUMNI LOOKING TO GET INTO YOUR FIELD?
Refugee resettlement is a great line of work. It is interesting, rewarding, challenging, and gives you the chance to work with amazing people. I’m not sure I really have advice about it, except that if it’s something you hadn’t considered working on but are interested in, find the resettlement office(s) in your city and look into it. You can start as a volunteer if you just want to get involved and see what it’s like.
 

October 2017