Graduating with the honor of Magna Cum Laude feels great! This distinction allows my peers, family, future employers, and most importantly myself to see that when I choose to do something, I apply myself fully and do my best, and that doing my best is pretty good.

I had initial aspirations to attend the Warner College when I got involved in fly fishing and fish conservation efforts as a young member of Trout Unlimited. I think I was eight years old when I started reading a book about trout and salmon of North America that was written by Dr. Robert Behnke, a CSU professor. That’s my first memory of wanting to study at CSU.

My path to CSU was long and twisted. I dropped out of high school, got my GED, and tried college for a semester (it wasn’t for me at the time). I traveled around a bit, tried trade school, but then worked in retail for a few years before finally returning to school.

This time I was doing it without any outside pressure, and I was finally ready. I went to Red Rocks Community College where I completed my associate of science degree, then I transferred to CSU where I completed my B.S. in Rangeland Ecology with a concentration in ecological restoration.

Three memorable courses as a whole were Plant Identification (BZ 223 with Jen Ackerfield), NR 220 at the mountain campus, and Introductory Mycology (BZ 333 with Ken Kassenbrock). In particular, going mushroom foraging with Dr. Kassenbrock on Cameron pass for an entire day was very memorable to me. Just getting to be in such an amazing and abundant setting with an experienced and professional mycologist felt truly special, I learned so much that day that will serve as a foundation of functional knowledge that I’m sure I’ll continue to build upon for the rest of my life.

My next steps are to study for and take the GRE. I want to do a master’s degree in the realm of ecological restoration, hopefully conducting research on the potential for using fungus in soil bioremediation efforts. I then hope to work in the field of ecological restoration/bioremediation.

Get involved! Join clubs, attend talks, be humble enough to ask questions in class even when you think you might sound silly. Talk to your professors after class, it’s ok to be afraid of being wrong but it’s not ok to let that fear stop you from learning and being involved.

Have fun while you’re here and don’t take it too seriously, stressing out about things only makes them more difficult. There are so many resources available at CSU that are truly helpful. . . use them!