It's funny how things come full circle sometimes.
If any readers are familiar with me, you will know I attended Plymouth State University and studied Environmental Science and Policy (and if you aren't familiar, see above). Those 4 years were fundamental building blocks for my life, and I saw a lot of growth in myself (both academically and socially). I will always remember my time there fondly.
This past week, I had the chance to speak to two separate groups of Plymouth State University students. The first group was an Introduction to Environmental Science and Policy class, composed of mostly first year students entering into the world of environmental science and policy. Grace (LRCC) and myself joined the class at Chamberlain Reynolds Memorial Forest and tagged along on their field trip, fielding any questions about the AmeriCorps program we are currently in, our times in college and post graduation, and anything in between while sprinkling in advice I wish I had received at that point*. For the majority of these students, this was their first field trip since their Junior year of high school, and I could see the excitement they felt being able to escape the classroom for a few hours and take an immersive approach to learning in the field. I remember the same excitement I felt on my first field trip in that same class about 5 years ago, and knew I made the right decision choosing environmental science as a life path (not to sound all philosophical but it really is more of a life path than a career path); hopefully they felt the same. I was in their exact shoes once, so I understood those students paying more attention to the birds in the trees than the bugs their professor was trying to show them. And I understood not asking questions to the two people lingering in the back of the group in bright orange hats not much older than themselves (I appreciate those that did).
The second group consisted of second year students in PSUs GEOPATHS program (designed to expose students to different geoscience applications and future pathways), and their professor Amy Villimagna. With this group of students, we went out into Piper Cove to do a water quality monitoring example, all the while discussing the history of the monitoring program, positive and negative impacts on the lake and other related points. While I was never a part of this program, Dr. Villamagna was the first professor I had at PSU (teaching my Intro to Environmental Science and Policy course), as well as my last professor (teaching a graduate level GIS course). There I was, teaching her students as a “professional” in the field thus completing the circle.
As my year wraps up here at the SLA, I am eternally grateful for my experience, newly acquired knowledge, and the relationships developed (both personal and professional). This endeavor has opened up a world of possibilities I never expected, and feel more than ready to tackle whatever the world throws at me next. So for that, I thank everyone involved in the last year of my life, it has been “more fun than a frog in a glass of milk”
Advice Shared:
1. Have conversations with anyone, anywhere you can. You never know where they might take you. We use the word networking a lot, and it can seem like a scary one, but in reality networking is doing exactly as stated above. Who knows, you might end up with a job offer or lead, or you might just have a nice conversation that brightens both of your day. [Insert some saying about not knowing what is behind a door until you open it or something along those lines]
2. Build good relationships with your professors while you can. They are there to be resources, and the better relationship you have, the better off you will be. Nobody wants to send an email several years post graduation and start with “Hello __________, do you remember me? Can you write me a letter of recommendation?” only to be forgotten in the myriad of past students.
3. Pay attention to your surroundings. Truly stop and smell the roses. The world around us is always changing, day to day, week to week, etc. The more you start to look around, the more you start to notice these little changes. For the last year or so, I have been walking across the bridge between the LRCC cottage and the SLA office. Every few weeks something new would be growing, blossoming, and dying. Had I not been paying attention, these changes would have gone completely unnoticed.
Mike is only two trails away from becoming a Squam Ranger, a status recognizing the folks who have completed every single trail that is maintained by the SLA. Learn more about Mike here!