{"id":965,"date":"2021-05-05T20:47:25","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T20:47:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/?p=965"},"modified":"2021-05-07T16:29:44","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T16:29:44","slug":"student-profile-zowie-deleon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/2021\/05\/05\/student-profile-zowie-deleon\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Profile: Zowie DeLeon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For Zowie Blue DeLeon<\/strong>, an undergraduate student majoring in natural resource management<\/a>, resilience means having the mental, emotional and physical elasticity to see beyond the single experience of suffering.

\u201cBigger picture, things may be hard now, but they won\u2019t be forever,\u201d DeLeon says. \u201cThat perspective can provide strength during hard times.\u201d

DeLeon, who uses both they and her pronouns, encountered many situations while growing up which required inner strength. However, at the time, they didn\u2019t necessarily see themselves as being \u201cresilient.\u201d

\u201cI grew up in a toxic environment, left home when I was sixteen. I had to grow up fast and learn a lot through trial and error. I am the first to break many cycles in my family and a first-generation college student. I\u2019ve experienced estrangement, loss, death, being a caregiver, feeling alone and that if I failed, no one would be there to help me.\u201d

DeLeon admits that when she was younger, they believed resilience was forged by putting up walls and being tough to make themselves feel safe. DeLeon doesn\u2019t feel that way anymore.

\u201cOver time, I have learned that resilience is moving through difficult or uncomfortable experiences with fluidity, softness and empathy,\u201d DeLeon says.

Though outdoor recreation was not central to DeLeon\u2019s childhood in the southeast, they were always outside and interested in plants, trees and bugs. After DeLeon moved to Corvallis, a friend who attended OSU inspired DeLeon to begin college, and at the age of 21, they joined the OSU community to study biology.

\u201cAs a first-generation college student, attending university was a big deal for me,\u201d DeLeon says.

After working a season in an Alaskan fishery, DeLeon realized they wanted to pursue a career in natural resources with a specialization in fish and wildlife conservation<\/a>. DeLeon is seeking an additional degree in anthropology and is interested in traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous stewardship.

DeLeon received multiple scholarships<\/a> from OSU and the College of Forestry.

\u201cThese scholarships allowed me to work less and focus more on my education as well as my personal and professional development. Because of the financial assistance, I can participate in fellowships, clubs, research, volunteer work and invest in myself.\u201d

These opportunities outside of class helped them zero in on their focus, and DeLeon advises incoming students to seize every opportunity they can.

\u201cExploring is how I developed my sense of direction. I took a few classes just for fun, like pottery and yoga, attended free lectures, joined clubs, went to socials, and found out wherever there was free food. These experiences are some of my favorite memories on campus and led me to new friendships and interests.\u201d

DeLeon worked as a student employee in the Dean\u2019s Office and was recognized and awarded for her outstanding contributions. Nominators noted that DeLeon approached her work with thoughtfulness and dedication and was a leader to her office mates.

DeLeon plans to graduate in the spring of 2022 and hopes to find a job with an agency or enroll in grad school. DeLeon\u2019s dream job or graduate program would focus on ethnoecology or the intersection of Indigenous stewardship with aquatic ecology and fisheries.

DeLeon thinks that cultivating resilience requires both humility and vulnerability.

\u201cThe ability to communicate \u2018I have no clue what I am doing\u2019 and the ability to ask for help to find direction and solutions can help with navigating hard times,\u201d DeLeon says. \u201cDropping your guard and your ego can help you gain the support you need to persist and find solutions during difficult times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A version of this story appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of <\/em>Focus on Forestry<\/a>, the alumni magazine of the Oregon State University College of Forestry.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Zowie Blue DeLeon, an undergraduate student majoring in natural resource management, resilience means having the mental, emotional and physical elasticity to see beyond the single experience of suffering. \u201cBigger picture, things may be hard now, but they won\u2019t be forever,\u201d DeLeon says. \u201cThat perspective can provide strength during hard times.\u201d DeLeon, who uses both… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3455,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[213751,110163],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-students","category-focus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3455"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=965"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":984,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965\/revisions\/984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/collegeofforestry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}