![Conservation Ecology](/sites/default/files/styles/hero/public/2020-04/coneco-header.jpg?itok=b-lMChTj)
Find your north star: alumni offer advice to recent SEAS grads
With 123 newly-minted SEAS graduates making their way into the world, this seemed a fitting time to ask our alumni for their advice to recent graduates. Their answers are alternately thought-provoking and inspirational, practical and philosophical, drawing on the collective experience of these 14 exemplary alumni. Each of these alumni are featured more extensively on new SNRE alumni website through the Impact Map, a collection of up to 200 alumni that are having a real impact in their fields. A link to each person's full Impact Map profile is included under their quote. Take a minute to explore their thoughts below.
Rachel Chadderdon Bair (MS/MPH 2010)
Director for Sustainable and Innovative Food Systems - Food Innovation Center at Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Full Story
“There are so many ways you can make a difference. Some are big and many are very small, and the important thing is to just decide what to put your heart toward and then do it.”
Sidney Brown (MS/MPP 2010)
Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Full Story
“Be creative – and occasionally uncomfortable – in your career path, welcoming the opportunity to explore unfamiliar technical or thematic areas.”
Kerry Duggan (MS 2006)
Principal, SustainabiliD LLC
Former Deputy Director for Policy, Office of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden
Full Story
“Find your north star and focus on it. Your passion will keep you afloat on the long days and nights ahead, and you never know what doors will open. For what it’s worth, my recipe for “success” has been to take risks, work hard, fail fast, learn from mistakes, and above all: practice gratitude. One more thing: Acquire and maintain relationships with mentors to keep you grounded.”
Clayton Elliott (MS 2010)
Executive Director, Montana Conservation Voters
Full Story
“Get outside! Make plans to enjoy the wild country that you're working so hard to protect.”
Tom Gallagher (MS 1974, PhD 1977)
Retired
Former Director of the Ford Institute for Community Building, The Ford Family Foundation
Full Story
“Strive to understand the underlying assumptions of your culture, organization, and discipline and how they guide and limit your ideas. Look for insights and understandings at the boundary between cultures, organizations, and disciplines.”
José González (MS 2009)
Founder and Executive Director, Latino Outdoors
Full Story
“There are many life moments that are like seeds, where you may feel buried in the dark, but that’s a place of growth. So take it all in, and like a growing plant, may the ideas and relationships around you be the carbon on which you thrive!”
Cynthia Koenig (MS 2006, MBA 2011)
Founder and CEO, Wello
Full Story
“Start before you’re ready.”
Alex Linkow (MS/MBA 2011)
Fair Food Fund Program Director, Fair Food Network
Full Story
“Find the intersection of your passion, your talents, and the world’s needs. That’s where you belong!”
Grace Manubay (MS 2002)
Environmental Literacy Coordinator, District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Full Story
“Good time management includes time AWAY from the work. Carve out pockets of time to take a break for fresh air, socialize with friends, and/or spend time in nature. Your brain (and morale) will thank you.”
Thane Maynard (MS 1977)
Zoo Director, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Full Story
“There is no finish line in conservation, so keep moving forward in positive ways. Our challenge is to better make our case so conservation isn’t perceived as some progressive cause only promoted in places like Ann Arbor, but embraced as common sense at every small town and farm kitchen table.”
Mark Retzloff (BS 1970)
Chairman, Natural Habitats Group
Full Story
“Always seek environments you can thrive in. And just get a ‘foot in the door’ at your sought-after employer.”
Nina Shestakovich (MS 2011)
Senior Research Analyst, AIR Worldwide
Full Story
“Think big but also learn how to execute your ideas.”
Kris Spaulding (BS 1997)
Sustainability Director & Founder, Brewery Vivant
Full Story
“Invest time in networking with people and organizations you are interested in, whether that is a different group in the company you work for or a completely different place altogether. If you request a meeting with someone, come into that meeting prepared with solid questions, and be sure to send a thank you note after the fact.”
Jennifer Thomas-Larmer (MS 1993)
Senior Writer/Editor, BuzzWord Inc.
Full Story
“No matter what field you go into, you’ll stand out among your peers if you can communicate clearly and succinctly in writing.”