News from Alums

Class of 2010

Annemarie Abbondanzo:  My favorite memories of the Keck Lab are from summer ecology with Capelli- setting the lake on fire, canoeing, and lectures outside. In fact, it was that particular summer that I decided to pursue environmental studies, so many  thanks to Capelli for inspiring me. I plan to apply all the I've learned as I continue environmental studies at Johns Hopkins in the fall. Before leaving Keck, I have to thank all the  professors. It is their work that makes environmental studies truly the greatest department.  Last, I just want to thank my parents for their continued support and inspiration.  

 Rachel Anderson:  I am attending UC Davis for the PhD program in Ecology in the fall...

 Caitlin Bovery:  Caitlin has absolutely cherished her time spent at The College and all of the incredible experiences with ENSP. She's looking forward to pursuing a career in marine science conservation and education.

 Stephanie Burton:    During my sophomore year of college, I realized that I could combine these two passions, and I decided to major in Elementary Education and Environmental Policy.  My favorite memory of being an environmental student at W&M was the internship that I participated in after taking the Global Environmental Governance course taught by Maria Ivanova. For this internship I spent two months studying the trade of endangered species in Dehradun, India. This internship taught me so much about environmental issues and the culture of India, and pushed me to grow in so many different ways as a student and as a person.   During the two years directly following graduation, I will be teaching elementary education in Phoenix, Arizona, through Teach For America.   After this, I would like to go to graduate school for international development work, combining my passion for the environment and education by working in developing countries.   Coming into college I had a great interest and love for environmental issues.  However, since environmental classes were not offered at my high school, I never considered that I could major in this field.  I am also very passionate about education.  During my remaining time at W&M I conducted an independent research study to determine the best methods of incorporating environmental education into the elementary school curriculum. One of the most rewarding parts of this research occurred this Spring during my student teaching experience for the School of Education. Within the past few weeks, I have been able to use my research findings to create lesson plans that align to the curriculum and education standards, engage students, and incorporate the environment!

 Meg Challand:  My best memories of being an Environmental student all involve classes taken at the Keck Lab, canoeing around Matoaka and the salt marshes.  They do not involve breaking anything.  I'm going to UVA in the fall to pursue a master's degree in Environmental Science.  I just can't quit the nitrogen cycle.

 Angela Cota:  Angela will be attending Field Camp learning how to do geology field work in Washington State this summer, and she will be starting research for her master's program in geology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. 

 Caroline Cress:  Caroline double majored in Government and Environmental Policy and was highly active throughout her college career in the campus sustainability movement.  A leader in the Student Environmental Action Coalition and the Committee on Sustainability, Caroline helped to establish the student green fee to fund sustainability initiatives on campus and worked to develop the recently unveiled Eco-Village proposal.  She plans to continue her environmental policy and advocacy work during her two-year fellowship with Environment America in the Raleigh, NC office.

 Charlotte Davis:  I am doing Teach for America in DC next year,    teaching an early elementary school-aged class.  I'm really excited to  incorporate the leadership skills and academic knowledge I have gained at William and Mary (as well as the importance of letting loose and having fun that I also learned here... :) )    I really liked Mark Fowler's Philosophic History of American    Environmentalism class - it really made me reexamine issues. I also really liked Melanie Dawson's Feminism and the Environment English class.  We had  some wonderful discussions.  My favorite class was Watershed Dynamics, with  THE Randy Chambers and THE Greg Hancock. Not only did I learn an incredible    amount about the biology and geology of watersheds, and our local watershed    in particular, but the class became a real community for me, and I felt like a part of a bigger ENSP family by the end of the course.  Not to mention how  inspirational and challenging and exciting Randy and Greg's teaching was.  I loved doing environmental activism here at the College. Though I loved the academic side of my environmental studies, the activism was what really iced the cake for me in terms of putting my knowledge into practice.    Through conference attending and planning, running campaigns, meeting with    administrators, traveling to environmentally interesting parts of the state, meeting with many many talented organizers across the region, learning to lead SEAC and organize people, and learning how to make change, I cannot imagine having learned more in my experience with environmentalism here at    William and Mary. 

Hannah Debelius:  Although the most notable moments of the environmental studies department for Hannah have been seeing  Professor James Perry catch a black rat snake from the Keck Lab dock with his bare hands and Professor Chambers pet a frozen, dead otter in an ecology lab, the memories she will take with her are of stimulating class discussions and learning how to push the boundaries of sustainable ideas and practices. She has put this to use as a member and outreach coordinator for the Student Environmental Action Coalition.  Having been completely taken with the idea of sustainable agriculture in Professor Maloney's capstone class, her future plans are to be an intern on Dayspring Farm for the coming summer.

 Miram Gleiber:   Miram Gleiber is from Michigan and is graduating with Honors with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science.   Miram is very passionate about marine science, and while at William and Mary she has pursued this by working in the Zooplankton Ecology lab VIMS and studying abroad in Australia.  Last winter she went with VIMS professor Dr. Debbie Steinberg to Antarctica for a month on a research cruise.  Miram recently received honors for her thesis examining zooplankton fecal pellets from the Western Antarctic Peninsula, a project advised by Debbie Steinberg.  Following graduation Miram is going on a month-long research cruise studying zooplankton in the Amazon River plume in the Tropicall Atlantic, then spending a month getting her Divemaster certification in Roatan, Honduras.  She plans to take a year off before eventually pursuing a PhD in marine science studying zooplankton. 

Erica Hart:  As an Environmental Science student, Erica has gotten quite intimate with Lake Matoaka, and without this program, she would not have been as well-prepared for graduate school and beyond. In the fall she will be attending the doctoral program in Biology at Portland State University.

Andriana Hench:  Andriana spent this last semester studying both environmental education in an elementary setting and gaining practical experience interning on a sustainable farm.  As for future plans.......they are TBD, but she plans to be in a place where she can see trees from her windows and have enough sunlight to grow a few vegetables.  She is graduating with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Environmental Science and Policy, which she hopes to someday combine into a nature based therapy practice.

Laura Herrmann:  Also a Public Policy major with an Internship with The Ferguson Group, LLP, a bipartisan government relations consulting firm that specializes in securing federal appropriations, authorizations, policy, and regulatory changes for clients. Hopes to take environmental and policy background to pursue a career in environmental law.

Grace Heusner:  Grace is graduating with a double major in Environmental Studies and Government and would like to thank all of her professors and mentors in both disciplines for giving her so many opportunities over her four years here.  During her career as an undergraduate, Grace has worked as a research assistant with Professor Maria Ivanova's Global Environmental Governance Project, as a teaching assistant for the ENSP, and helped to create a "community garden" proposal that is now being supported by the Williamsburg Winery.   She has also studied tropical conservation and ecology in Costa Rica and is looking for a job in field conservation biology... so if you can help her out, let her know!

 Connor Horne:  My best memory of being an Environmental student at W&M is watching and helping the Campus Garden grow over the years since its inception.  A close second place goes to memories of house-sitting for Timmons Roberts and keeping his wonderful dog, Xodo, company.  I plan on pursuing a career in food sustainability and sustainable agriculture.

 Virginia Jenkins:   So I ended up as an environmental policy major by chance - I was looking for an extra class, and a friend of mine (I'll give Connor Horne the credit he is due here) was taking intro to environmental studies - so I figured, why not!?  And now here we are!  Little does Dennis Taylor know, he completely changed the trajectory of my life in his lecture during that  class four years ago (melodramatic? - maybe, but also true).  When he came in to talk about agriculture, I basically figured that food came from the grocery store - but so much has changed since then, as I have now been an intern on two small-scale, sustainable farms, and I am looking to be employed on my third in the coming the summer.  During my time at William and Mary, I have helped establish food sustainability efforts on campus, including the Campus Garden and coordinating volunteers at Dayspring Farm with Farmers and Gardeners, as well as devoting as much class time as possible to agricultural issues.  I am now planning to have my own farm one day and to combine farming with counseling to work with people dealing with anxiety and depression.  I owe so many of these accomplishments and goals to all of the wonderful experiences being an Environmental Policy major has afforded me.   Thank you so much, everyone!  And I'm so excited to see where we all go from here. 

 David Kraemer:  This summer, David will be interning at B A S F in their Human Resources department. In the fall, he will be attending the University of Minnesota Law School, and plans on concentrating in either Health Law and Bioethics or Business Law.

 Darlin Kulla:  I have had the best times and some of the dirtiest times in my Environmental science classes. My funniest memory happened during our senior capstone class when Professor Walker Smith asked me where I was from, and when I said Albania he then asked if I "was one of the boat people."  My plans for the future are still being worked out, for the summer I hope to travel a bit and maybe start a compost pile and doesn't smell our whole house for hours when opened.

 John McCutcheon:  I can't say whether I've had a particular ENSP "moment," as environmental responsibility, conservation, and intrinsic love of nature have always been valued by my family.  However; I do remember in Intro to ENSP in the Fall of 07, we had a guest lecturer, a law professor, who spent the period discussing environmental justice. This was when I realized that I could help *people *at the same time as helping nature. Although I haven't firmly chosen a career path, graduate school is in my future.  Perhaps Law school, but at this point I'm leaning towards applying to UVA's environmental science graduate program next year.  Whatever happens in life, I will continue to value efficiency and conservation and will attempt to cultivate a low-impact lifestyle and educate those around me (without being too pushy or judgmental.)

 Michelle McKenzie:  I'm the first college graduate on my mom's side of the family, so everyone insisted on coming. I still have no definitive plans for after graduation. Depending on whether my boyfriend, Daniel, gets accepted into the program, we're planning on living in Spain for a year starting in September. he'd be teaching English and I'd be volunteering on organic farms. So what I need to do this summer is save up some money. I haven't done much job searching because I've been prioritizing school and friends right now. I might end up living at home and waitressing somewhere unless I stumble across some other opportunity. If you know of anything at all environmentally related that is open to recent graduates, definitely send it my way!!  I'm pretty much desperate and willing to do anything! 

 Matt Norwood:  Matt has gone over to the dark side, and is convinced that he can do some environmental good as a consultant.  It isn't as much fun working in an office, but hey, at least there will be fewer chiggers.

 Christy Ottinger:  I've gotten involved in the entire movement here on campus, in SEAC, Realfood Williamsburg Cooperate, sustainability intern for dining services, campus garden, environmental policy undersecretary for the SA, and just general advocate for everything environmental around here. i also had the opportunity to do research abroad in the Philippines for my ENSP capstone, which has, combined with all my other experiences I just mentioned, I feel, set the stage for what I'll probably end up doing in the peace corps and beyond. I plan to serve in the peace corps for the next 2 years + 3 months, and will be in an agricultural program somewhere, hopefully in southeast Asia again. after that, who knows?! probably more of the same somewhere else, and I'll just slowly make my way around the country and the world.

 Maggie Person:  Maggie has enjoyed her time in the environmental studies program, and plans to apply what she has learned by most likely doing environmental education in the Peace Corps this fall.

Ashley Pierce:  I will be attending graduate school at the University of Nevada at Reno through the Desert Research Institute working on the biogeochemical cycling of mercury in the atmosphere.

Zachary Pilchen:  One of Zach's favorite memories at William & Mary was in fall of 2006 when, as a member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition, he helped to organize the Youth Energy Summit that brought students from 22 schools in DC, Maryland and Virginia to Williamsburg for a weekend of environmental training and networking.  And as a 5th-year senior at William & Mary since 2005, one of his greatest joys has been watching SEAC grow in size and influence on campus, often with the welcome assistance of faculty.  And in turn, watching the college administration finally start catching up to the levels of environmental awareness that have always been existent in the Student Body.  Next year, Zach goes off to law school in Portland, Oregon with the goal of ultimately practicing environmental law.

 Rachael Reeves:  Rachael Reeves is double majoring in geology and environmental science, and has wonderful memories of her times in the field with these two departments. Some of her favorite memories of W&M are the 310 trips taken with the Geology Department and her four years of work with the W&M Annual Fund. Next year, she will be attending the W&M School of Education to pursue a Masters degree in Secondary Education as part of the Noyce Scholars program.  She has great memories of the ENSP department and will miss all of the wonderful people she has met over the past four years!

Margaret Smith:  Farming this spring at Professor Charley Maloney's Dayspring Farm with our Agriculture in Sustainability senior seminar.  I'll be farming at a small-scale sustainable farm in Pennsylvania for the summer and then moving to Austin, TX.  There, I'll be helping to raise awareness and money for two environmental campaigns.  I'll be working to improve federal water standards set in place by the now out of date Clean Water Act, as well as to increase solar development in the state of Texas.  

Caitlin Smoot:  I am a biology and environmental science double major. I will be working at Oceana, a marine conservation group in Washington D.C.,  as a fisheries intern after graduation.  I hope to pursue a career in marine conservation. 

Kara Starr:  Kara is graduating as a double major in Environmental Policy and English. She has done extensive research on climate change foreign aid, and has been published by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. Kara has loved her four years at William and Mary, but is excited for entering the real world, where she plans to pursue a career in environmental law.

Mark Stepaniak:  I'll be going to the University of Colorado, Boulder for a Masters in Science Education. I'm also a biology major and have been in the Gilchrist lab since my freshman year. 

 Abigail Stokely:  I'm excited to head home to Colorado for the summer, because it means I get to help out in our garden and participate in the cherry harvest for at least one more year. It also means I get to spend some quality time with my family (and family pets) again after four years on the east coast! I'm still looking for work in Boulder, CO.   My best ENSP memory--at one point during Carey Bagdassarian's seminar this semester, the students started talking  about our frustration at the lack of any practical or life skills courses at The College (The seminar was actually on food sustainability, but no matter).  Carey acknowledged this and responded by taking us out on Lake Matoaka in canoes on a particularly beautiful morning. Over an hour on the lake, we collected trash and recyclables from its banks.  It was the first  time I'd been out on the lake and I truly enjoyed it, so I'd like to say  thanks to Carey - now I know how to handle myself in a canoe! I'd like to quickly add  that as a major in the Policy track, the 250 seminars were a  great way to spend some time talking with professors and students who had a   different perspective.

Anna Tabuse:  I am going back home in Tokyo and am planning to work there (no jobs found yet). 

Dana Taylor:  Having spent all 4 years and all 3 summers in Williamsburg, Dana is excited to launch into a summer adventure in the south of France, working on organic farms with her good friend Mary Baer.  Upon their return, she has plans to travel across the country to Portland, OR, where she will be working to create urban space into ecologically- and artistically-sound community place.   She will continue to engage her passion for matters of food sustainability wherever the road may lead her.

Alexander Whitney:  Going to teach English in Taiwan!!

Virginia Zakrzewski:  Virginia became involved with the environmental studies department as a freshman when she was granted a HHMI Freshman Research scholarship.  She was given the opportunity to traipse around in the College Woods, looking for a little eel called a lamprey that hides out in the streams in the area.  It was cold, dirty, wet, and ... well, perfect.  She was hooked, and decided to major in environmental science alongside her biology major.  Virginia plans to work as a paramedic after graduation, and from there, she hopes to go back to school for her Master's.  She hopes to get a job doing marine biology field research where she can continue getting wet and dirty on a daily basis.

Class of 2007

Lizzy Anthony: "Environmental consulting in Washington DC." [updated 2007]

Tyler Atkins: "I am going to take some time off before going on to graduate school (probably a M.S. in marine science). This summer I will be working as a fly fishing instructor for the Orvis Co. in Manchester, Vermont.  I will also be helping out with two research project on barracuda and bonefish in South Caicos". [updated 2007]

Julia Brockman: "She will continue on to work towards the preservation of all life." [updated 2007]

Liz Burroughs: "After staying in Williamsburg for the summer doing research for her Global Environmental Governance class, Liz plans to travel on the biodiesel bus educating about green living and doing community organizing." [updated 2007]

Charlotte Fallon: "After graduation, I’ll be working as a nursing asst at MCV on the oncology floor and as a paramedic with the rescue squad before applying to med school and hopefully getting into an md or environmental health program." [updated 2007]

Erin Fenlon: "attending the National Outdoor Leadership School for a semester in the Rocky Mountains and eventually plans to get her masters degree in geology or environmental science." [updated 2007]

Stefanie Gera: "Stefanie will be attending graduate school at W&M's Virginia Institute of Marine Science this fall.  She will be working to develop a temperature & salinity matrix to determine what habitats are more likely to be invaded by the harmful marine snail Rapana venosa." [updated 2007]

Ricky Gruntz: "I am going to continue my education the next four years at the University of Maryland's Dental School in Baltimore, MD." [updated 2007]

Heather Heiser: "My plans for the future are to get a job as a histo-technologist in marine science." [updated 2007]

Shari Hower: "Possibly going into environmental consulting or law". [updated 2007]

Miranda Hutten: "My plans for the future are to continue working with Project Level Aid and work in Bosnia as a teacher." [updated 2007]

James Jackson: "I never would have dreamed 4 years ago that all the hard work here would have earned me a full ride to the University of Hawaii. I hope to put my environmental science education to good use working to preserve the world’s oceans and reefs (and what’s wrong with getting in some surfing while I’m at it?)" [updated 2007]

Courtney Liesner: "I will be attending graduate school at Washington State University in the fall. I will be receiving my Masters in Botany while doing plant research.  My long-term plans are to get a PhD and after my post-doctoral work acquire a position as a professor and get undergraduates/graduates students to do my research." [updated 2007]

Kate Luciano: "I have really enjoyed taking classes in the environmental science department, the people and professors are wonderful and they're definitely some of the best classes I've had in college! I love it so much that next year I'm going to study it in graduate school as well." [updated 2007]

Elizabeth Moore: "I will be interning at Dayspring Farm in King and Queen County in September and October, and from there am applying for an internship in Tropical Agriculture, with a hope of eventually doing environmental/sustainable agricultural work in developing countries.  Or possibly something will take me back to France.....But who knows what will work out.  We'll see." [updated 2007]

Erin Morgan: "After graduation I will be working as an environmental educator aboard the tall ship Adventuress, teaching marine ecology and nautical science. The programs are conducted by the nonprofit organization Sound Experience in Port Townsend, Washington. I am also planning to apply to graduate school for the Fall of 2008." [updated 2007]

Kristin Pederson: "This summer I am working for the Udall Foundation in Tucson, and next year I am entering an agro-ecology program at the Life Sciences University of Norway on a Rotary scholarship." [updated 2007]

Kate Prengaman: "I'm taking my interest in ecology and environmental science to a summer job in Anchorage with the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. After that, plans are still vague, but she plans to be happy! (and also look for internships and research positions related to ecology and writing, and then maybe graduate school, and eventually work in environmental journalism)." [updated 2007]

Laura Sauls: "Next year, I will continue to take on interdisciplinary challenges while studying for a MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford University." [updated 2007]

Gina Sobel: "I am helping to organize a 10-month bio-diesel bus tour of the south east that is focused on community organizing around climate change. Before we hit the road in October, I will be working at a couple farms around Virginia and getting in some good wandering." [updated 2007]

Jeff Stacey: "Looking forward to my upcoming move to Philadelphia where I will be a first year law student at Drexel University.  I intend to pursue a career in Environmental Law; however, when the announcement comes that the band Phish is reuniting, I'm quitting everything and following them on tour." [updated 2007]

Jean Still: "I will be attending the Nicholas School of Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University in Ecosystem Science and Management this fall. I will be employed at Draper Aden Associates, an engineering firm, as an Environmental Specialist this summer." [updated 2007]

Gordon Stillman: "I will be pursuing a career in architecture, quite possibly green architecture." [updated 2007]

Hallie Street: "Next year I will be attending graduate school to pursue a Masters degree in vertebrate paleontology." [updated 2007]

Shelbi Wilson: "I have spent the past two summers working for the VA Dept of Environmental Quality and hope to continue working in regulation in the future. I have lots of promising job offers and interviews are starting to appear." [updated 2007]

Matthew Wolak: "I will be starting a PhD in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside." [updated 2007]

Class of 2005

Owen McDonough: “I am currently a Ph.D student in the BEES (Behavior-Ecology-Evolution-Systematics) interdisciplinary graduate program at the University of Maryland (of the approximately 50 Ph.D students, 5 of us are WM Alums!) My studies focus on stream ecosystem processes and functions with the goal of restoring impaired running-water networks and their watersheds.” [updated 2006]

Class of 2004

Suzanne Ankrum: “I am currently working as the program coordinator for Virginia Conservation Network - a network of over 100 environmental organizations working to protect the Commonwealth's air, lands, and waters as guaranteed by Article XI of the Virginia Constitution. At VCN, a nonprofit, my work varies from tracking legislation and opportunities for public participation to coordinating policy workgroups that bring experts from around the state together to develop a cohesive environmental policy. I also coordinate a citizen advocacy program - Legislative Contact Teams - with the Virginia League of Conservation Voters. You can find my organization online at www.vcnva.org.” [updated 2006]

Emily Greene: "I graduated from Duke in the spring with a Masters degree in Environmental Management, did a bit of traveling, and am currently working in the water resources division of an environmental/engineering consulting firm in Washington, D.C., the Louis Berger Group Inc. We're beginning a restoration project on the Missouri River, which is very exciting. It is interesting work, albeit demanding, timewise." [updated 2006]

Melissa Pensa: “I am currently in my third year of medical school at the University of Connecticut.  I plan to pursue a career in general surgery and will be applying for residency programs within a year.  In my spare time, I am working with a cancer epidemiologist to study the biological differences in breast cancer in African American vs Caucasian women in CT.  Running and cooking continue to be my sources of sanity.  I have become recently interested in the Slow Food Movement and hope to create a website in the near future that serves as a nutrition and eating guide for the public.” [updated 2006]

Class of 2003

Melanie Biscoe: "May 2005: Graduated from Duke's Nicholas School. 2 weeks later:  Moved to DC to work for RTI International. Since:  I've been writing environmental assessments for USAID's malaria control programs in Africa.  In 2006 I traveled to Mozambique, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Rwanda for this purpose.  It's quite an interesting job, being part of the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), especially working on Indoor Residual Spraying campaigns.  If you need to know anything about IRS, the DDT Debate or malaria vector control in general, look me up!" [updated 2006]

Stephanie Ford-Molvik: “In 2005, I graduated with my Masters in Public Health from Eastern Virginia Medical School. This past fall, I started working on my PhD in Emerging Infectious Diseases at USUHS in Bethesda, Maryland.” [updated 2006]

Elizabeth Vonhof ( Ketchum): “I am currently in my last semester of a Master's in Public Policy (specializing in Environmental Policy) at the University of Maryland. I am also working part-time with the Bureau of Land Management's Division of Planning and Science Policy. Prior to attending Maryland, I worked for two years at EPA's Office of Underground Storage Tanks. In personal news, I got married at the Wren Chapel in May 2004 to another W&M alum, Marco Vonhof. We are now enjoying apartment living in Arlington, near Pentagon City.” [updated 2006]

Class of 2002

Marian Carroll: “Most recent job is with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. I am a stormwater compliance specialist, inspecting erosion and sediment controls on construction sites in the Potomac Watershed region.” [updated 2006]

Marisa Guarinello: “I am in my first year of an MS program at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.  My research will concern the ecosystem functioning of one of RI's coastal lagoons. I also work part-time for EPA-New England's Superfund program, preserving a connection to my previous years of employment with the Superfund headquarters office.” [updated 2006]

Mary Shockley: “Working as a naturalist in Arlington, VA; hoping to attend graduate school in environmental science in 2007; engaged!” [updated 2006]

Beth Sturiano: “After graduating from W&M with a secondary concentration in Environmental Studies I served in the Peace Corps, doing environmental education and community development in Jamaica from 2002-2004. I'm now studying at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University's Indianapolis campus, where I'll graduate this May with a Master of Public Affairs, concentration in nonprofit management, and a Master of Arts in Philanthropic Studies. I hope to work on environmental issues in the nonprofit sector upon graduation.” [updated 2006]

Class of 1995

Wendy Walsh (Smith): “I'm in my 8th year with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Jersey. My job involves reviewing projects in north Jersey and making recommendations to minimize impacts on wildlife. In this capacity, I'm involved with the wetland regulation process, NEPA, civil works projects, endangered species, and migratory birds. Areas I often work include NY Harbor, the Meadowlands, the Central Passiac, and the Highlands. I'm married with a 2-year old daughter.” [updated 2006]