What were you doing before you applied to the Conway School?
I have a bachelors degree from the University of Rhode Island in Marine Affairs/Coastal Policy and Management and two minors, Fashion and Business. As a kid I dreamed of designing clothing, which later morphed into designing wetsuits (see the marine and fashion connection?!). After college I served in the US Peace Corps, as a Marine Conservation Development Extension Volunteer, diving and snorkeling among the gorgeous islands of the Federated States of Micronesia. My time in Micronesia solidified my commitment to environmental conservation through education and policy. Back in the US, I worked as an environmental educator and teacher naturalist, and then received my Masters of Education from the University of Delaware. I devoted my time to establishing connections between families and nature. After teaching in public school for a few years and then having children of my own, it became apparent how children (and adults!) benefit from time spent in nature. I established a forest school program in Delaware and worked at the first accredited forest school in Pennsylvania. After our family moved to MA in 2021 I heard about The Conway School. I am grateful for discovering this special place, and for having the courage to take the leap and become a student.
What are you doing right now, and what do you love about it?
I am working as a Conservation Agent for the Town of Palmer.
List one or more books that you find influential in the field of ecological design and/or planning.
Planting in a Post-Wild World
What book changed your life?
I read Walden by Henry David Thoreau when I was 15, living in a suburb of Washington, DC. Thoreau exposed fresh ideas about living with nature and questioning societal norms of the time.
How do you think ecological design and planning can help make positive change?
While policy can often provide the structure for large-scale change by setting regulations that shape behavior, the “butterfly effect” concept (which suggests that many small changes can lead to significant cumulative consequences) is a powerful reminder of how individual actions can collectively impact broader social and environmental outcomes. Such changes that have a butterfly effect include designing and planning with the environment in mind. I am convinced that behavior change happens by connecting people to nature alongside policy and planning strategies to achieve scientific and social goals.
Which aspects of your Conway education do you use in your current work? Which aspects do you use to address urgent challenges related to climate change, environmental justice, etc.?
The real-world projects I worked on while at Conway provided deep knowledge of how conservation and planning can be woven together. One project partnered with a municipal Planning Department to update chapters of their Master Plan; understanding what goes into creating such a document is valuable in my day to day work. Other skills developed at Conway that have transferred to my current position as a Conservation Agent, include: utilizing GIS to analyze maps, analyzing site conditions, knowledge of planning practices such as land use and zoning, understanding development trends, recognizing the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss, and engaging with communities and communicating to various audiences. At the core of my Conway education is site analysis–layered analyses reveal patterns that inform recommendations and decisions about how land use and future development may affect the health of the Town’s landscape and its ecosystems.