Q: What are your future plans?

A: “My plans for the immediate future are to finish my internship with the Big Thompson Watershed Coalition out of Loveland and also to continue work on diversity and inclusion initiatives within the Warner College of Natural Resources. Looking to the future past Fort Collins, I hope to further define my role in lifting up and serving communities experiencing unequal access to natural resources and open spaces come up with creative solutions in a municipal government or environmental justice nonprofit role.”

Q: What is your dream job?

A: “My dream job shifts the more I learn about myself. I’ve gone from interpretative ranger to historian and cultural resource specialist working to reclaim native lands, and as I continue to learn about the inequalities present in urban tree canopy and access to green spaces, an urban forestry strategist. In the end, my dream job involves being in a position that adds value at both an individual and community level through two-way education, engagement and creativity.”

Q: What is your favorite memory at Warner College?

A: “A favorite memory is more collective, as the people I’ve met in Warner have had the greatest impact on who I am today in the short time I’ve spent in the college. From colleagues and instructors, to mentors and advisors I can’t express enough my deepest gratitude to each and every person I’ve connected with. I came into Human Dimensions of Natural Resources after “unsuccessfully” attempting re-entry to higher education in 2016 at CSU in a field I didn’t realize wasn’t the right fit for me until I was put on academic probation. After reflecting on the decision to stay in school or go back into the career I started in construction management, I decided to find what was the right fit for me in my education. Luckily, I couldn’t have found a more welcoming community in Warner.”

Q: What will you miss most about CSU?

“The people and conversations. The energy that comes with being surrounded by driven, and ambitious humans who want to learn and teach others. The access to answers and questions that stretch creativity for resilient decision-making.”

Q: Any advice to incoming freshmen at CSU?

“The age-old advice that you seem to get from everyone who went to college, but might not realize is the most useful is: a.) get involved and b.) go to office hours. Getting involved is such a privilege of higher education, whether it’s intramural sports, student orgs, or going to that extra credit presentation from someone who wants to tell you about their research in human-wildlife interactions is such a great way to build a network and better define who you are. Lastly, instructors love when their students (past or present) drop by show and interest in a field they are passionate about or just simply chat to break up the workday. You won’t regret it!”