Undergraduate Studies
Academic Portfolio
Welcome to my Undergraduate Studies Portfolio, a comprehensive showcase of my journey through two degrees at Prescott College. This page shares the projects and written work that demonstrate my successful completion of the program goals for both my Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and my Bachelor of Arts in Adventure Education. Each section connects directly to the learning outcomes of its respective program, offering clear evidence of my growth as a scholar, educator, and environmental professional.
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Program Goals
Bachlor of Science - Environmental Studies
1. Values
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This paper “The Use of Big Game Hunting as a Conservation Tool Within the Western United States” examines the evolution of hunting practices and their modern role in wildlife conservation. Through a critical review of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, I explored ethical tensions around land access, species management, and the privatization of wildlife. This work demonstrates my ability to engage with complex value systems—blending conservation ethics, historical misuse, and modern ecological stewardship—to explore how humans assign meaning and responsibility to wild species and landscapes.
​Learners will identify, compare, contrast and apply the historical, philosophical and ethical foundations of how humans value, use, and manage nature and natural resources.
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2. Processes​
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​​Learners will identify and apply abiotic, biological, ecological, and evolutionary processes, from molecules to the biosphere across a variety of temporal and spatial scales.
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In “Research and Development of a Sustainable
Conservation Strategy for the Endangered
Siberian Ibex (Capra Sibirica)" I investigated population dynamics, elevation-based habitat preferences, and species vulnerability in the face of climate shifts and human pressures. Drawing on ecological theory and field-based studies, I examined how abiotic variables like snowpack and aridity intersect with biological behavior such as sexual segregation during breeding. This work demonstrates my fluency in applying ecological and evolutionary processes to real-world conservation issues across temporal and spatial scales.
3. Inquiry and Solution Generation
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Learners will use appropriate methodologies to address a range of research questions, to interpret landscapes, to test hypotheses where appropriate, and to analyze and communicate the results to diverse audiences.​
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As part of the Natural History and Ecology of the Southwest course, I co-authored a comparative tree growth study using forest plots at the Walnut Creek Center for Education and Research. Applying Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN) protocols, we collected and analyzed data on Juniperus monosperma across seasons and elevations. While we encountered inconsistencies in our methods, the experience deepened my understanding of ecological fieldwork, long-term data tracking, and collaborative research design. This project sharpened my skills in ecological monitoring and public science communication—especially regarding transparency in methodology and limitations.
4. Application
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Learners will apply understandings of the reciprocal influences between people and nature through meaningful analysis of complex relationships among ecological, cultural, socio-political, and economic systems.​
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In my review “Impacts of Climate Change on the Madrean Sky Islands Archipelago,” I analyzed how ecological fragmentation, genetic bottlenecks, and wildfire disturbance intersect with human-driven climate change. This work synthesized peer-reviewed literature to assess species migration challenges and habitat loss in a biodiversity hotspot increasingly vulnerable to systemic collapse. The paper exemplifies my ability to evaluate ecological and socio-political interactions at a systems level, proposing conservation solutions that account for both biological resilience and cultural landscapes.
Reflection
My Environmental Studies degree from Prescott College grounded me in systems thinking, ecological literacy, and interdisciplinary problem-solving. Through coursework in conservation, climate science, and ecological economics, I learned to examine environmental issues through biological, cultural, and ethical lenses. Field-based projects—like forest monitoring at Walnut Creek and conservation planning for the Siberian Ibex—taught me how to connect data-driven inquiry to meaningful, place-based action.
These experiences directly supported my graduate research in restoration ecology and river governance, which I pursued through a Master of Science in Environmental Science. My undergraduate work laid the foundation for the applied, justice-centered approach I bring to conservation today—where science, policy, and people intersect.
Program Goals
Bachlor of Arts - Adventure Education
1. Relevance of Adventure Education
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Through exploration of the origins and current trends, students will be conversant in the
relevance of adventure education and the benefits of its practical application for humanity​
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​While floating the San Juan River, as part of the Wilderness and Colonization course, I created and taught a lesson on the historical and current land management of the region. I wanted students to understand that every landscape we move through holds layered histories—often marked by colonization, resistance, and co-management. By facilitating small group discussion and reflection, I helped my peers connect the act of recreation with deeper questions about land use, ownership, and responsibility. This experience reminded me that adventure education isn’t just about being outside—it’s about using the outdoors as a platform for consciousness and connection.
2. Leadership & Facilitation Skills​
Learners will apply leadership skills, experiential teaching strategies, and facilitation techniques in order to create intellectually, emotionally and physically safe communities with academic integrity.​
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Together with my teaching partner Aliah, I facilitated a Group Process session on Social Emotional Learning. We explored the difference between wants and needs and how emotional intelligence can create more resilient and inclusive group dynamics. Through interactive whiteboard work, scenarios, and peer-led reflections, we guided participants through tangible strategies for fostering a safe group culture. This experience reinforced how essential emotional awareness and structured facilitation are in holding meaningful space, especially in the field.
3. Ethical Stewardship
Learners will demonstrate through words and actions an understanding of ethical stewardship within the human and nature interface.​
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In my Maps & Navigation course, I led a lesson on Township & Range—a land-based coordinate system—and unpacked its origins in U.S. westward expansion. I helped students understand how this system, while functional, played a key role in colonial land division and Indigenous displacement. By situating technical skills within historical context, I encouraged students to think critically about how we map, name, and move across land. This approach reflected my commitment to teaching outdoor skills in ways that honor the complexity of place and promote a more ethical interface with the land.
4. Technical Mastery in an Outdoor Discipline
Learners will attain the level of technical mastery in a particular outdoor discipline necessary for the implementation of safe, high quality experiences in that discipline.​
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Over the past ten years, I’ve run rivers across the West—from the Animas to the Green, from the San Juan to the Grand Canyon—logging more than 1,500 river miles across 25+ expeditions. My River Log documents these trips, including roles as paddle captain, swiftwater rescue trainee, assistant leader, and co-instructor. I’ve rowed heavy oar rigs through high-flow Cataract Canyon, led youth groups through Desolation Canyon, and supported research floats for Prescott College. With every trip, I’ve strengthened my ability to read water, manage risk, and hold space for group learning. These experiences reflect not only my technical capability but also my dedication to safety, stewardship, and transformative outdoor leadership.
Reflection
Adventure Education at Prescott College gave me the technical skills, leadership tools, and teaching experience to facilitate transformative outdoor experiences. From guiding river expeditions and managing backcountry logistics to leading lessons on social-emotional learning and Indigenous land histories, I learned how to hold space for growth, safety, and connection in challenging environments.
Those skills carried directly into my graduate studies, where I co-led fieldwork, engaged stakeholders in restoration projects, and taught others in applied settings. The degree gave me more than outdoor proficiency—it gave me a lens for ethical leadership that continues to shape my work as an environmental professional and educator.