A fortuitous tour in Washington, D.C. offered Forest and Rangeland Stewardship student Max Griffis a unique opportunity closer to home.
As a summer policy intern for the Society of American Foresters, Griffis visited the Sustainable Forestry Initiative’s national office and became acquainted with a professional forestry entity he knew relatively little about. SFI is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the sustainable use and management of forests.
During the tour, Griffis learned about a student scholarship program available for attending SFI’s annual conferences. He qualified for and received a full scholarship that covered many expenses for the October event held in Westminster, Colorado this year. While the organization primarily focuses on sustainable wood production, Griffis found many sessions offered new information he could apply to his own academic specialty in forest policy.
“Personally, the abstract topics presented at this conference were the topics that were most memorable to me,” Griffis said. “I had the opportunity to glimpse into the niches of professional worlds that many do not have the opportunity to see until they are well into their careers.”
Conference sessions that resonated with him the most were those that addressed communicating the value of forests and hearing from women leaders of various state and national government agencies. Griffis said both sessions revolved around the theme of improving the way the forestry field has traditionally been perceived.
The SFI conference was smaller than others this senior has attended. As such, it offered more opportunities to connect with professionals in the field. Each scholarship student was paired with a professional mentor for the conference duration, they received 100 business cards to actively network with, and they even participated in a conference sponsored 5K run. Taking part in this new opportunity gave Griffis a fresh perspective about his field. He said he hopes other natural resource students will seek similar possibilities.
“I would recommend not putting anyone in a box until you read about their mission,” noted Griffis. “At this conference, students get the very unique opportunity to interact with a wide range of attendees, including CEOs of multinational companies, conservationists, community representatives, indigenous leaders, forest managers, university faculty, students, government officials, and many more.”
Next year’s SFI conference will be held in Richmond, Virginia.
SFI conference scholarships are for undergraduate or graduate students in environmental science, natural resources and sustainability fields. Any student interested in the scholarship process can email Rocco.Saracina, Manager, Conservation Partnerships for the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.