Alumni Spotlight: Lexi Evans
As varied as the curriculum is in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, so are the career options available to HDNR graduates once their time at CSU has finished. HDNR graduate, Lexi Evans has found herself working for a legislative firm in Maryland. The firm, Chesapeake Public Strategies strives to incorporate the public into legislative actions. Evan’s job specifically as a Grassroots Coordinator, involves her meeting with diverse publics and gathering stakeholder opinions relative to current or proposed legislation. She finds her past education and experiences to be very helpful for her success in her job.
Transition into the Real World
Evans had a family here at CSU, which for her was the Warner College of Natural Resources College Council. “College council was awesome because, I know that Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30, I was going to be with my friends and we were going to do meaningful things for the college. I will always treasure those memories and those people.” Evans reflected on the skills she learned from being on College Council and how those skills are benefiting her now in her job. “You reach out to other people in the college and you try to bring them in and provide them opportunities to become more involved in the college. I do that now, just it’s not the natural resource college anymore it’s the local government.” Her new position requires the strong communication skills that she learned from being so involved in ASCSU and College Council. She attributes all of the confidence that was needed for her new job to the relationships and interactions she had within College Council and HDNR. Her experience here impacted her in many ways and prepared her for the long road ahead.
Natural Resources in Legislative Work
When most students are considering a major in HDNR, they don’t often anticipate a job in the legislative world. Evans took an alternative route to finding her career but still utilizes the knowledge learned through HDNR. Evan’s position is self-described as “interpreting science” for the public. With her education in Natural Resource Policy and Communication, she gets a head start in being able to understand legislation involving the environment. She knew she wanted to be involved with environmental science, which was her main motive for coming to CSU. A lot of the classes she took here gave her the background that she needed to effectively communicate environmental issues.
Back to Maryland
After graduating from CSU, Evans found herself with her new job through a series of networks. She was recommended for a position within Chesapeake Public Strategies, and her ability to connect with people and see the “human side of things” made her a great candidate for the job. Evans was someone who could go out and persuade the public to come to council hearings, write letters to the council and even testify. “When you boil it all down, it’s just about talking to people the right way.”