Alumni and Careers

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

Since graduating, I spent a year teaching English in a rural town in southern Taiwan on a Fulbright fellowship. I’m now working at a development-focused think tank, where I research the intersection of climate resilience, economic development, and domestic resource mobilization. This fall, I’ll begin graduate school!

Why Environmental Studies?

I majored in integrative biology and environmental studies because I was drawn to the faculty and community within the ES program, as well as the program’s interdisciplinary approach. The coursework was engaging and encouraged me to think across disciplines to understand and solve environmental challenges. Through my Bowdoin education, I have come to realize that environmental challenges cut across every industry and different parts of society. Since graduating, I have gained an appreciation for how collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches are critical to creating lasting, effective, and equitable change. I feel that my majors gave me the tools and perspective to engage with these complexities in a meaningful way.

Starting college during the COVID pandemic, I also appreciated that the program got us outside to explore Maine’s ecosystems through field-based learning. It helped me connect more deeply with the state, my professors, and my peers.

Are there any classes, professors, or experiences that had a lasting impact on you?

Courses with Rusack Professor of History and Environmental Studies Connie Chiang had a huge impact on me. She challenged me intellectually while always making me feel supported and seen as both a student and a person. Her belief in my potential always made me want to achieve more, even in the most challenging moments. Through her classes The Beach, Intro to Environmental Studies, and Environmental History of North America, I found myself deeply immersed in my studies even in a subject (environmental history) I never thought I’d enjoy. Her mentorship extended far beyond the classroom, and even a year after graduation I’m grateful to consider her a wonderful friend.

I also loved the classes I took with Associate Professor of Biology Vlad Douhovnikoff, especially Forest Ecology and Ecology of Rivers. His courses blended biology, policy, and social science in ways that felt both rigorous and creative. They also got us outside, canoeing rivers, surveying forests, and learning directly from Maine’s landscapes. He created a real sense of community in his classes, and they were genuinely a joy to be part of. Some of my most wonderful memories at Bowdoin.

Additionally, staff and faculty like Rosie Armstrong, Eileen Armstrong, Mary Rogalski, and Shana Stewart-Deeds all contributed greatly to my experience at the college. Without their support, mentorship, and kindness, I would not be the same person. The environmental studies department truly has the best people!

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates interested in your field?

I’m still early in my career, but one thing I’ve learned is not to panic if you don’t have it all figured out right away. I graduated with broad interests and wasn’t exactly sure how to position myself or how my skills translated into specific roles. That uncertainty was uncomfortable, but it was also clarifying as I worked through it. Staying patient, talking to alumni, and being open-minded about where I could start my career helped me gain traction and better understand what kind of work excites me and where I want to go moving forward.

Additionally, traveling around Maine and spending time outside were some of my favorite parts of the Bowdoin experience, so I will always highly advocate for that!

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

After graduating in 2019 and spending time as a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Brazil, I moved to Washington, DC, to work for a member of Congress. While managing his environmental policy portfolio, I had the opportunity to design and draft original legislation on topics including offshore wind and solar energy, to work behind the scenes at committee hearings, and to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in driving climate progress through the US political system. I have also consulted for private-sector energy clients, explored the growing field of environmental facilitation and mediation to address renewable energy siting challenges, and completed a master's degree in environmental management at the Yale School of the Environment.

Why environmental studies?

Environmental challenges, and their solutions, can never be put into a single box. Bowdoin’s interdisciplinary environmental studies major and liberal arts curriculum gave me the freedom to take courses in topics as varied as marine biology, urban planning, government and legal systems, and French theater. I strongly believe that the breadth of my studies at Bowdoin helped me tremendously as a Hill staffer, where one is often expected to be a generalist one day and a specialist the next. Memories of coastal Maine tidepooling and a solid foundation in environmental science and policy have inspired me and, I hope, prepared me to tackle a wide array of complex environmental challenges.

Most memorable environmental studies course:

The City Since 1960, with Senior Lecturer in Environmental Studies Jill Pearlman.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

My previous roles include a water lead tester (recommendation: avoid the lead), cake baker (record: 16 pounds of butter), and environmental consultant (conclusion: not enough skiing included). While consulting on federal programs in DC, I realized everything I was doing was passed in Congress, paid for, and going to happen whether I helped or not. I wanted to be at a company leveraging its influence to tackle the systemic problem of climate change and trying innovative tactics to impact policy and culture. So I landed at Aspen Skiing Company, where I work on sustainability programs, philanthropy, and initiatives to promote racial justice. I also direct the Environment Foundation, our employee nonprofit, which has donated more than $4 million since its inception to fight climate change, bolster clean energy at scale and policy level, and foster environmental stewardship.

Why environmental studies?

Growing up in Colorado ingrained environmentalism in me and my environmental studies professors deepened my interest in humans’ impact on the natural world. When I’m not working (and sometimes for work), I’m skiing in the Rockies, backpacking in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, or biking through national parks. I want future generations to be able to enjoy the outdoors, as unmarred as possible from wildfires, drought, pollution or inequitable barriers to access. Living in a ski town has also reinforced how critical outdoor recreation is to the livelihoods and lifestyles of many rural communities. Climate change and inequity are in lock step, so we need to tackle them together—and that is a fight worth joining.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

I graduated from Bowdoin in 2015. After taking a gap year to get some work experience at the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago, I attended Georgia Tech where I earned a master's degree in city and regional planning. From there, I was selected for a fellowship at the US Department of Transportation where I assisted with the environmental review and permitting process for transportation projects receiving federal funding and reviewed grant applications. I currently work as a community planner with the Marine Corps.

Why environmental studies?

I decided to declare a major in environmental studies because I was passionate about the environment in high school. I knew the basics about climate change, greenhouse gases, natural disasters, and sea level rise but wanted to know the science behind those things, their impacts to humans, the built environment, and nature—and what courses of action can reduce their impacts. Environmental studies is broad and intersectional. From sociology and government to engineering and economics, all of these fields are impacted by the things happening with our environment. Governments across the world are working to develop climate actions plans to reduce emissions, water loss, and land loss. Sociologists are studying how climate change causes entire communities to resettle and how they adapt. Engineers are developing ways to address greenhouse gas emissions, and economists are studying how the impacts of climate change are impacting the cost of food. By majoring in environmental studies, students are setting themselves up to address some of world's most urgent challenges.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

After Bowdoin, I worked for two years in an international relations nonprofit. Then I went to Washington, DC, for graduate school. I went to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where I focused on energy resource and environment, as well as international economics. After that, I worked for two years in consulting in energy, as well. Now, I work for Enel Green Power in the acquisition and structuring team for all renewable energy.

Why Environmental Studies?

I've always wanted to do something with some science background, but I did not want to go into purely science. I think environmental studies is a good way to keep a little bit of your science background, while also learning new skills about phillosophy on the environment and especially government and environmental policy. I come from Europe, and so going to Bowdoin, for me, was the most rural experience I've ever had in my life—so I also thought an environmental studies major at Bowdoin would be a good fit. I'm very, very happy to have done it because I kept doing that type of work. It was definitely a great way to learn about some of these things and then dive into it later in a professional setting.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

Right after graduating, I co-produced a documentary in Sicily about endangered culinary traditions. I then got my MFA in creative nonfiction at the University of Minnesota, and continued my Bowdoin thesis. Now, that's my first book, which is forthcoming spring 2023. I've been working as a freelance writer and am teaching at Oxford in the summer.

Why environmental studies?

I was drawn to environmental studies from a storytelling, communications perspective. I ended up really appreciating the chance to be in the field and outside, interacting with nature through a different lens of inquiry, rather than just as a tourist or as a hiker. It feels more obvious to me now—that environmental studies is actually sort of the study of everything. I think it's an omnivorous discipline; it's a lens to see the world and to begin to think about the scaffolding of science and policy and storytelling that are behind all of these different disciplines. Even though I'm not putting that to practice, per se, in my life, using those modes and skills are so helpful to be able to understand, broadly, current environmental legislation. It's just a muscle of inquiry and way of thinking about the world that I think is useful for any liberal arts student.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

As a consultant with Linnean Solutions, I have worked with local governments, academic institutions, property owners, and organizations in climate change mitigation and adaptation planning. I regularly lead research, community planning processes, and strategy, and plan development to help communities outline pathways towards greater resilience, equity, and carbon neutrality. Recent projects include the One Climate Future Climate Action and Adaptation Plan for Portland and South Portland, Maine; the Climate Resilience Plan for UMass Amherst; as well as climate workshops, vulnerability assessments, and climate action plans for the Massachusetts municipalities of Medford, Northampton, and Amherst. Prior to Linnean, I supported research in ecological planning and environmental dispute resolution in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have a master’s degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What have you been up to since graduating from Bowdoin?

I spent the year after graduating working for a small land trust. I was fortunate to work on land conservation and gain experience in the nonprofit world, but quickly realized I wanted to make a bigger impact so decided to go to law school. I went to the University of Colorado Law School and was fortunate to gain significant experience in environmental, natural resources, and federal Indian law while there. After law school I clerked for a judge on the Colorado Supreme Court for a year, and then worked as an associate attorney for the Rocky Mountain Office of Earthjustice for four years where I litigated a range of environmental cases in federal court on behalf of other nonprofit groups. Since 2014 I have been in several roles at The Wilderness Society, a national non-profit established in 1935 with a mission of uniting people to protect America's wild places. In my current role as senior legal director, I direct and oversee a team of six in-house staff attorneys and all of our programmatic legal work, including several dozen active cases winding their way through the federal courts. 

Why environmental studies?

Since a young age I was interested in protecting the environment and natural resources and knew I wanted to pursue that passion in college and beyond. I chose Bowdoin primarily because of its excellent environmental studies program (and because of its cross-country ski team, for which I raced all four years), so matriculated knowing I would major in environmental studies. Everyone needs clean air, water, and access to the natural world to survive and thrive. The existential threats of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental racism threaten those basic human rights and the future of humanity. We need an army of environmental professionals and advocates from diverse backgrounds and across many disciplines to tackle these problems and work collectively towards a future where all people can access the benefits of the natural world and secure a future for their children and their grandchildren.