As a first generation college student, I began my college career in uncharted territory with little guidance. After high school graduation I took about a year off of school, and in that time I learned a lot about myself – I discovered my strong work ethic and my passion for the outdoors. I also realized that the life I wanted wouldn’t be earned without further education. Attending college became a necessity, and once this realization was made I immediately enrolled at Tacoma Community College. During my time at TCC, I continued to work in order to fund my education. Working, along with my recent internship with Joint-Base Lewis-McChord’s Fish and Wildlife Department, has had an impact on my grades. Through the struggles of juggling priorities, though, my work ethic and time management skills have only strengthened.
I began at TCC planning on earning an Associate’s in business. After taking classes on the subject, I knew that I wanted more for my future. In fulfilling natural science requirements, I found myself immersed in the material. Given that I had always loved the outdoors, wildlife,
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The program has taught me more than I thought possible through working with biologists, recent graduates, soldiers, and other students to maintain and restore ecosystems such as oak savannahs and prairies on base. Removal of problematic invasive species such as Cytisus scoparius, Rubus armeniacus, and the constantly encroaching Pseudotsuga menziesii has been a focus, as well as planting Oregon white oaks along the edges of prairies to establish new woodlands. I’ve also had the opportunity to observe how prescribed fire is used as a tool to restore these ecosystems. This ties into the work done at the University of Washington’s Terrestrial Restoration Ecology Lab and Wildland Fire Sciences Lab, as research is done on how to preserve and enlarge existing oak