Can you reflect on your time and experiences at CSU and how it benefited you?
Warner College prepared me for this next step in my career by allowing me the flexibility in my course work and extra-curricular activities to explore different aspects of ecology and sustainability. The ability to go from my Sustainable Policy class, to Environmental Economics, and finish the day with Diversity of Fishes showed me how much these areas of sustainability overlap and enabled me to find my own place within the field. After class, whether participating in research at the Natural Resource Ecology Lab or volunteering at the Environmental Justice Center, Warner was never short of opportunities for me to get involved and learn about something new. Because of these opportunities, I was able to become well rounded in several aspects of environmental science, which will suit me well in my uniquely diverse program at Columbia.
What advice do you have for current students or recent grads?
My advice is to get involved with new and unfamiliar opportunities related to whatever it is you want to pursue. Whether that be taking a new job or internship, or even enrolling in a class you wouldn’t normally take, it’s important to branch out now while you have the time and freedom to do so. Spreading yourself across the sustainability spectrum while you have the chance will help build a resume and show potential grad schools or employers that you are interested in the field and dedicated to finding your place within it. In doing this, you will also realize what you enjoy doing, and more importantly what you don’t. Each new experience will provide you with the tools to build your own path and help get you to where you want to be.