Reflection

I transferred to Stockton at the beginning of my sophomore year. Having come from

a private college and having been a pre-med student prior to coming here, I was very

unsure as to what an environmental studies degree would allow me to do with my life. The

coursework that I took (specifically, the plant biology courses) were not designed with an

end-goal in mind; they were chosen based on what was available at the time and what

interested me. It was not until the end of my junior year (spring 2009) that I realized that

forest science was my passion, and that I wanted to continue on to graduate school after

Stockton.

I am very fortunate for having come to Stockton, and for having such influential

professors guide me along my path. Because of the terrific faculty at the school, and the

courses that I have taken, I have found what I am most passionate about and am driving

myself forward to be a future leader in my field. The skills that I have learned, from all of

my classes and not just those included as artifacts, include: data analysis (SAS,

ArcView/ArcGIS), team leadership (forest management plan), tree identification and

taxonomy (dendrology), quantitative analysis, and oral/written communication.

Perhaps the most important skill that I have gained from Stockton, however, is the

motivation to seek knowledge on my own. Over the course of my undergraduate study, I

have read countless articles, scientific and otherwise, for my own benefit or for leisure

activity. I feel that this thirst for knowledge will serve me better in my future career in

academia than any other skill that I have gained thus far. It is from Stockton College, and

the incredible faculty and courses that I have interacted with, that I have gained these skills

that will help to shape the rest of my life.