Graduation Year: 2011
What City/ State are you from?: Zuni, VA
What City/ State do you currently live in? McCall, Idaho
Current Career Title: Graduate Residency Coordinator
Business/ Organization you work for: University of Idaho, McCall Outdoor Science School
What was your Major? Wildlife Conservation
What was your favorite thing about your time at Unity College? Did you have a favorite tradition? I loved everything about my time at Unity! I feel so lucky to have been able to get connected in the school community. I believe it is a factor of the shared goals and vision of the students that allows students across majors and backgrounds to come together and learn about the environment.
What advice would you give to current Unity College students? Do as much as you can! Attend all of the events, career fairs, take extra courses, and make the most of all of the opportunities Unity can help you with!
Did you utilize career services for your internship or career search? If so, in what ways? I am sure that I did, specifically for an internship search and ideas about how to go about finding something that would fit my goals.
Where did you complete your internship(s) and what types of experiences did you have? I spent a few weeks at an Elephant Sanctuary in Arkansas. The other summers I worked for private consulting companies doing environmental impact assessments monitoring for bat species. It was a perfect summer job! The pay is great, you get hands on experience with catching bats, data collecting, movement monitoring, and more. Mist-netting technician is a great summer job.
Is your current job in your field of study, or did you end up going a different direction than you thought? I never expected to move into the education field. I don’t believe that I will ever be a K12 teacher, but the experience I have gained from teaching has been incredibly valuable. I thought I would be out in the field more doing science, but instead teaching others how to be out in the field doing science has been wonderful.
Tell us a little about your current job and what it entails: As a program coordinator, I am the logistical master. I wear many hats. I am in charge of the recruitment and enrollment of new graduate students. I help them navigate the University application and financial systems. I manage all of the interviews and co-chair the selection committee. I am very thankful for my four years of work study in Unity Admissions now that I am managing the MNR Admissions for our program!
I am an instructor for the Field Science Teaching course where I facilitate meetings, observe grads doing instruction, give feedback, grade lesson plans and other course work.
The other half of my position is doing logistical coordination with the visiting K12 schools that attend our residential program weekly. I work with teachers on curriculum design, meal schedules, and all sorts of odds and ends.
Are you happy in your current career? Oh yes! It is a great fit for me! It is a very natural extension of my time at Unity.
Is there anything you would have done differently education wise? If I had a time machine, I might consider double majoring so that I could have more experience in two fields.
Did you feel Unity College prepared you for your career? Perfectly! I feel that attending Unity for undergrad and doing the Master of Natural Resources at U of Idaho-MOSS is the perfect launching pad for a career in Natural Resources, Ecology, Science Communication and so much more!
If you haven’t already, are you considering graduate school down the road? I attended the McCall Outdoor Science School while completing a Master of Science in Natural Resources through University of Idaho. I am open to the idea of more graduate school if the time comes.
