Where are you from originally?

What year did you graduate from Unity College?
2013

What city/ state do you live in?
Andover, MA

What is your Current Career Title?
Biology Teacher, 7th grade

What is the Business/Organization you are working for?
Stoneham Public Schools

What brought you to Unity College?
I first came to Unity during the summer of my sophomore year in high school, and fell in love with the campus. From there I was sure I wanted to go to Unity, so applied my senior year and enrolled the following fall.

What was your Major?
Ecology (minored in Botany)

What was your favorite thing about Unity College? Did you have a favorite tradition?
The friends I made here for sure.  My favorite tradition was intramural floor hockey. 

Do you have any advice for current Unity students? Professional advice?
Get out of your room, and meet new people. It’s important to make friends and be open to trying new things. There are so many clubs and activities to participate in.  This was a key part of my Unity College experience.

Professional advice?
It’s great to go for your dream job, but you can work towards your dream job while doing another job that actually pays the bills. Sometimes you need to build-up your resume with seasonal and temporary positions before you can land a permanent full time job in your field.  You have to be willing to stick with it, and keep working towards your dream.

Did you do an internship or research project?
I had an internship with the SCA in New Jersey as an Invasive Species Remover. I also did an internship at Unity, The HEMS project: Hemlock Ecosystem Management Study with Alysa Remsburg and Dr. Amy Arnett.  

I completed a research project, the Northern White Sucker Project, where we set out nets in Sandy Stream and we caught the northern white suckers as they came up. We took samples of them and checked their stomach contents to see if they were eating while they were migrating upstream.  We used that data to see if bald eagles were eating the suckers as they were traveling, in order to help improve their habitat as they migrated for spawning.

Did you utilize Career Services for your internship / career search?
Yes, absolutely. I went to their office and they actually set me up with the internship. I saw them a couple times after that to find out where I should send my resume for internships, and they were very helpful.

What does your current job entail?
I teach anatomy, genetics, evolution, cycles in nature, cell anatomy.

Are you happy in your current career?
I love it!

Did you end up going a different direction than expected career wise?
Very different. I was offered a job at Yellowstone National Park when I graduated to do invasive species removal, but I turned it down because I promised my senior year internship place that I would go back down to DC and work with them for invasive plant control.  I worked with them for two years. It was not great pay and brutal work, so I would come back home during the winter and work as a substitute teacher in the schools. One teacher got sick and I ended up substituting in their high school Biology class for an extended period. The students ended up doing really well so the head of the department offered me a job the following year, and I accepted.

Do you feel was though Unity College prepared you for your career?
Considering I made such a drastic change, I would say not in an academic sense. However, in a life experience and social sense, yes. 

Are you considering Graduate school if you haven’t attended already?
I went to Cambridge College in Massachusetts for Secondary Education specializing in Science.

Is there anything you would have done differently during your education?
I wouldn’t have done anything differently. This all actually worked out quite well for me.