Welcome to the College of Forestry! What do you do here?

Thank you!  I’m the new FES graduate coordinator. I started late-June 2019. 

How is it going so far?

It’s great!  I have to give a big shout out to my predecessor, Jessica Bagley, because she left me so many detailed and thorough resources that have helped me get settled into my new role.  As a student at the University of Oregon, I had a student job assisting the program manager of an online graduate program and then was the student intern of their Office of Internal Audit, so I’ve had some experience in higher education administration.  Thanks to those factors, it’s been a smooth transition into this role.

What’s your favorite part of the job?

So far, I love getting to know everyone here in FES and in the College of Forestry.  It was very quiet over the summer, so now that more people are back from fieldwork and vacations, it’s nice to be able to meet more faculty, staff, and students. The subject area is also very interesting to me because of how interdisciplinary the FES department is.  I studied accounting in school, so it’s refreshing to be exposed to topics like nature, wildlife, and the way humanity interacts with and impacts the environment.

What do you do when you’re not working?

Every weekend, our family tries to explore a different part of Oregon’s outdoors. Recently, we’ve been to Clear Lake, and it was beautiful.  We’ve been to some parts of the coast and the Cascades.  I’ve also started taking an adult ballet class, which is really challenging and fun.

Are you watching anything interesting right now?

Since the beginning of September, my husband and I have been watching (foreign)horror films.  Halloween is our family’s favorite holiday, so we usually start gearing up for it as early as we can!

If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

I think I would probably be a koala because they just go with the flow. They love naps and usually just hang out, but they can be a little feisty, too.  

Are you a morning bird or a night owl?

I used to be a night owl, but I’ve turned into a morning person because of my commute to work from Eugene.  It was rough getting used to my schedule, but now I’ve found it’s nice to be awake before everyone else is, to have some uninterrupted time to myself.

Do you have a go-to Karaoke song?

‘A Whole New World’ from Aladdin with anyone who’ll do the duet with me!  My mom’s side of the family is actually very into Karaoke.  She and my aunts have been guilty of staying up until 5 a.m. having cocktails and Karaoke battles. 

What sport would you play in the Olympics?

Women’s Indoor Volleyball.  I played competitively in school and club teams for about 8 years until I had some knee injuries.  It’s still my favorite sport to watch because of the athleticism, strategy, and teamwork involved.