I grew up in a family that loved to play outdoors and go camping as often as possible. I always had a fascination for wildlife, and I knew that I wanted to explore my passion for nature for my life’s work. It was not until I had almost completed two years of my associate degree that I found the program of my dreams. I was then accepted to the University of Florida where I majored in natural resource conservation and met my husband in the same program.

After volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge last summer, my husband and I were eager to get another opportunity to work with this agency. We found the position for refuge technician with Mt. Adams Institute’s Public Lands Stewards program and felt like it would be the ideal situation to explore new skills in wildlife and resource management, build a foundation for a career in conservation, as well as provide an opportunity to explore a part of the country that was unfamiliar to us. For me, the most exciting aspect of this new position is working hands-on with the mitigation of a threatened species and feeling a connection with nature.