I believe that people who have a deep-seated respect for the natural world had a childhood experience where the appreciation began. At an early age I gained an admiration for the outdoors and the natural world and this respect has grown tremendously throughout my educational journey.
I was born in Knoxville, TN and moved to Wilmington, DE when I was very young. As a child I loved spending all my time outdoors playing in the backyard, looking for strange bugs or riding my bike around the neighborhood. During my years in school, science was always my favorite subject. It did not matter what type of science, I was amazed and inspired by it all. I knew early on in my life that I wanted a career in science but was unsure of the path to follow.
My undergraduate degree began as a Biological Sciences major. I soon found myself surrounded by budding doctors and lab technicians, which led me to reevaluate my choice. I switched to Environmental Science and felt it was a much better fit for the career I envisioned. I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a minor in Biological Sciences and a concentration in Marine Studies. To obtain my marine studies concentration I participated in a study abroad program in Bonaire, N.A that coincided with NOAA Ocean Explorers. This experience gave me a profound appreciation for the oceans and the biodiversity of coral reefs.
There have been many experiences that have reaffirmed my desire to work for the environment. In the summer after my sophomore year of college I was hired as a field technician for Environmental Consulting Inc. in Middletown Delaware. I had worked on many different projects within the organization and by the fourth summer I was an assistant on Project Beach Seine. This particular project was focused on collecting data on juvenile fish and crab populations in the Delaware Bay and River, which contributed towards PSE&G’s wetlands restoration project. This was my first working experience where I knew I was making a difference for the health of the environment.
In September 2008 I decided to embark on an expedition that made an enormous impact on my life. I traveled to Dwaalboom, South Africa where I trained to become a field guide on Madikwe Game Reserve. I spent 2 intense months studying the flora and fauna of South Africa but also learning and growing as a person. Once I graduated from the training and became FGASA certified, I spent a month living with the game reserve manager and volunteering as a guide. The experience placed me outside of my comfort zone while giving me the confidence I had previously lacked. I learned that I had leadership potential and could feel confident speaking publically. As a person who has always been leery of public speaking this realization was life altering. Once I returned home I knew I wanted to work as a naturalist or environmental educator.
In January 2009 I started working for the Delaware Nature Society's Ashland Nature Center as a part-time Teacher/Naturalist. This position entailed teaching a wide variety of school programs and outreaches to many different children of all ages. Once I began leading groups of children and teaching them to appreciate nature I became enthralled. I am very passionate about the environment and conserving it for future generations, and once I began teaching I realized what I wanted to do with my life. Five months later, I began a position as a full time, education intern with the Delaware Nature Society. I have now been working over a year as an environmental educator and it has given me a great amount confidence to lead and teach a variety of different groups of children. It has also given me the chance to experience how different it is to teach kindergarteners versus middle school students.
To improve on my natural history knowledge I enrolled in the Naturalist Certification Series through the Delaware Nature Society, which took place from March 2009 through November 2009. The series consisted of 8 lectures and 8 field excursions, which explored all of the aspects of Delmarva’s ecosystems. Over the years I have found I am most successful in obtaining knowledge by doing and I absorb the information much more quickly if I experience it first hand. This has allowed me to pinpoint that my primary learning style is kinesthetic but I am also a visual learner and do well in a lecture setting. To build on my knowledge of management skills and operational practices I participated in a six-credit Environmental Institution Management graduate class in January 2010. This course taught me all of the aspects of a non-profit environmental institution and how a successful one is operated.
All of these experiences led me to choose Antioch University of New England to acquire my Masters in Environmental Studies with a Science Teaching Certificate.
I am an enthusiastic person who is eager and exited to educate children about the wonders of science and the natural world. At the age of twenty-five I am overjoyed to have chosen a career path that I am both passionate about and challenged by.
I was born in Knoxville, TN and moved to Wilmington, DE when I was very young. As a child I loved spending all my time outdoors playing in the backyard, looking for strange bugs or riding my bike around the neighborhood. During my years in school, science was always my favorite subject. It did not matter what type of science, I was amazed and inspired by it all. I knew early on in my life that I wanted a career in science but was unsure of the path to follow.
My undergraduate degree began as a Biological Sciences major. I soon found myself surrounded by budding doctors and lab technicians, which led me to reevaluate my choice. I switched to Environmental Science and felt it was a much better fit for the career I envisioned. I graduated from the University of Delaware in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a minor in Biological Sciences and a concentration in Marine Studies. To obtain my marine studies concentration I participated in a study abroad program in Bonaire, N.A that coincided with NOAA Ocean Explorers. This experience gave me a profound appreciation for the oceans and the biodiversity of coral reefs.
There have been many experiences that have reaffirmed my desire to work for the environment. In the summer after my sophomore year of college I was hired as a field technician for Environmental Consulting Inc. in Middletown Delaware. I had worked on many different projects within the organization and by the fourth summer I was an assistant on Project Beach Seine. This particular project was focused on collecting data on juvenile fish and crab populations in the Delaware Bay and River, which contributed towards PSE&G’s wetlands restoration project. This was my first working experience where I knew I was making a difference for the health of the environment.
In September 2008 I decided to embark on an expedition that made an enormous impact on my life. I traveled to Dwaalboom, South Africa where I trained to become a field guide on Madikwe Game Reserve. I spent 2 intense months studying the flora and fauna of South Africa but also learning and growing as a person. Once I graduated from the training and became FGASA certified, I spent a month living with the game reserve manager and volunteering as a guide. The experience placed me outside of my comfort zone while giving me the confidence I had previously lacked. I learned that I had leadership potential and could feel confident speaking publically. As a person who has always been leery of public speaking this realization was life altering. Once I returned home I knew I wanted to work as a naturalist or environmental educator.
In January 2009 I started working for the Delaware Nature Society's Ashland Nature Center as a part-time Teacher/Naturalist. This position entailed teaching a wide variety of school programs and outreaches to many different children of all ages. Once I began leading groups of children and teaching them to appreciate nature I became enthralled. I am very passionate about the environment and conserving it for future generations, and once I began teaching I realized what I wanted to do with my life. Five months later, I began a position as a full time, education intern with the Delaware Nature Society. I have now been working over a year as an environmental educator and it has given me a great amount confidence to lead and teach a variety of different groups of children. It has also given me the chance to experience how different it is to teach kindergarteners versus middle school students.
To improve on my natural history knowledge I enrolled in the Naturalist Certification Series through the Delaware Nature Society, which took place from March 2009 through November 2009. The series consisted of 8 lectures and 8 field excursions, which explored all of the aspects of Delmarva’s ecosystems. Over the years I have found I am most successful in obtaining knowledge by doing and I absorb the information much more quickly if I experience it first hand. This has allowed me to pinpoint that my primary learning style is kinesthetic but I am also a visual learner and do well in a lecture setting. To build on my knowledge of management skills and operational practices I participated in a six-credit Environmental Institution Management graduate class in January 2010. This course taught me all of the aspects of a non-profit environmental institution and how a successful one is operated.
All of these experiences led me to choose Antioch University of New England to acquire my Masters in Environmental Studies with a Science Teaching Certificate.
I am an enthusiastic person who is eager and exited to educate children about the wonders of science and the natural world. At the age of twenty-five I am overjoyed to have chosen a career path that I am both passionate about and challenged by.