How did your experience as an undergraduate at the Odum School of Ecology influence your life and career? Four recent graduates of the Odum School of Ecology, speaking over Zoom, discussed that and other questions as part of the 2022 Odum School Parents and Families Day on Feb. 26.

Moderator Amanda Rugenski, the Odum School’s undergraduate coordinator, began by asking the panelists to describe their educational journeys and whether they have ended up where they expected when they began their degree program.

Miriam Edelkind-Vealey, who graduated in 2021 with a BS in ecology, is currently pursuing a master’s degree in entomology at UGA studying plant-pollinator interactions, focusing mainly on bees. She came to UGA as an ecology major and pre-vet student. At the beginning of her junior year she was in a bad cycling accident and had to take a semester off.

“I came back and realized that pre-vet wasn’t really for me,” she said. She joined the cognitive ecology lab with Dr. Sasaki, doing research with ants, when Covid hit and disrupted the semester. That summer she decided to apply for a position at the pollinator biodiversity lab, which led to joining the entomology master’s program.

“I did not expect to end up studying bugs, but I’m really happy with where I am,” she said.

Juliet Eden, who received her AB in ecology in 2021 with a minor in geography and a certificate in sustainability, knew she was going to be an AB ecology major since before arriving at UGA. As a high school senior, she had reached out to undergraduate advisor Misha Boyd and toured the school, sat in on a class and attended Waffle Wednesday.

“I always knew that I was interested in the people aspect,” she said. “I knew I wanted to do more with public speaking and communication and how we can use ecology to advocate for better environmental sustainability and social practices and things like that.” She is now working for Second Helpings Atlanta, a food waste and food security nonprofit, doing marketing.

Guy Eroh graduated in 2019 with a BS in ecology and MS in forestry and natural resources specializing in fisheries. He came to UGA as a biology major but quickly switched to ecology.

“I realized that biology focuses on the organismal level down, and I tend to be more interested in the interactions between organisms and their environment,” he said.

Eroh described his path as one of successive stepping stones. He was able to use the experience gained in his ichthyology class with Bud Freeman, director of the Georgia Museum of Natural History, to get an internship with the Utah DNR. That led to a summer job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and from there to a master’s degree in Warnell, which was followed by a year-long fellowship with the National Marine Fisheries Service. He’s done several things since then as an independent contractor, including cohosting a federally funded podcast, Fish of the Week!, with FWS, doing videography with the Georgia DNR, and working with a Florida-based nonprofit to create a digital educational fish identification tool.

Jenna McLoughlin, who received her AB in ecology in 2021 along with a certificate in environmental education from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, began her educational journey as an art major. After taking some time off, she changed directions, enrolling at University of North Georgia to study forestry. She then transferred to UGA and joined the ecology AB program. While in school, she worked as a park ranger for three years, gaining experience that, combined with her degree, enabled her to land her current position as the social media coordinator for Parks Project, an apparel company that gives directly back to national parks.

“I did not think that I was going to be a social media coordinator,” she said. “I didn’t spend a lot of time on Instagram or TikTok—until now; I spend all of my time on social media just showcasing parks and all the things that are important within the parks systems.”

Rugenski asked the panelists which Odum experiences stood out as shaping them personally or professionally, and what advice they could offer current students about taking advantage of their time here.

For Eden, study abroad/study away programs immediately came to mind.

“The biggest thing that was super transformative was fall semester in Costa Rica,” she said. “Three months living in a different country, being with all new people that I hadn’t met before; we did so much and learned so much. I got to participate in CURO doing undergraduate research, and being an AB major, that was a good confidence builder.”

Eden also completed the Interdisciplinary Field Program, a summer course that takes students across the country from Sapelo Island to the Pacific coast studying anthropology, ecology, and geology; as well as the Ecological Problem Solving Maymester class.

As for advice, Eden said to talk to everyone and ask questions. “Loiter around the building, make friends with people in class. Because we’re a smaller college in a big university, it’s important to stick together. Those connections will come in handy.”

McLoughlin said her most memorable class was conservation biology. “We really got hands-on experience, we got to tackle different projects, we talked about the entire scope of the ecosystem and how we are involved in it,” she said. “One of the things that we want to focus on with the AB is communication, when you’re able to tell the public why something is important. Being able to explain science to your grandma at dinner is so useful. When you do so much scientific research, you want to make sure that it’s applicable to the surroundings that you put yourself in.”

McLoughlin echoed Eden’s recommendation about talking to people and asking questions, and added that students should seek out Misha Boyd for guidance. “If you need something answered, if you need to talk to somebody, or if you’re just curious about what you want to do, she is willing to help you and guide you on your journey,” she said.

Edelkind-Vealey agreed. “There were so many times where I’d take a class and I’d be overwhelmed and I’d go in and talk with her, and she’d give me really great advice, just to stick with it. One of those classes was molecular ecology, and it turns out now I’m using the skills I learned in my master’s degree.”

She also advised students to take advantage of the many opportunities available through Odum.

“It can be overwhelming, but just try it,” she said. “You never know where you’re going to end up. That’s the beauty of having an ecology degree; there are so many options, you’re not limited to just one area, you can really do anything with it.”

For Eroh, originally from Portland, Oregon, one of the most memorable experiences was getting to see all the aquatic diversity and the diversity of fishes in the Southeast.

“I remember Scott Connelly leading a little electrofishing trip on one of the campus creeks when I was a freshman,” he said. “I remember working with Bud Freeman and him talking about some of the great research opportunities, getting to lead expeditions trying to collect fin clips and get DNA samples from some of these basses that are of conservation concern. It’s really cool getting to do all that.”

Eroh also stressed the importance of getting to know people and the diversity of things to do.

“Take advantage of all the other programs that are related and nearby to Odum, both in terms of material they teach and geographically proximate,” he said. “Warnell is right across the sidewalk, with a lot of really cool people doing cool stuff over there. You’ve got John Wares in Ecology and Genetics. Marine Science is right up the sidewalk. Interacting and getting to do the cross-disciplinary stuff is really valuable.”

Rugenski asked the panelists for final words of advice for current students.

“There are two things that might seem contradictory,” said Eroh. “The first is to diversify your experiences. Unless you try and diversify your experiences while you’re in school, and this is true throughout life, you’ll limit yourself. Second, identify concrete goals for yourself and then strive so you can direct your education and your career in a meaningful way. Living deliberately, that’s a challenge; it’s easier to just go with the flow. But if you’re always considering and understanding why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’ll be rewarded with that in the long run.”

McLoughlin advised students explore different interests.

“It’s great to explore things that make you curious, make you happy,” she said. “If you’re interested in birds, take an ornithology class. Give yourself time to grow as a person, to grow into your careers. Take advantage of all the relationships you can have here.”

Edelkind-Vealey stressed the importance of being fully present in class.

“There are a lot of distractions, especially now,” she said. “Being present in classes, asking questions, staying inquisitive is the most important thing you can do as a scientist.”

She also advised that students get to know their professors.

“Stay in touch; professors are there to be your mentors. Take advantage of all those resources. There’s certain things I wish I did differently, but ultimately making connections will get you anything you need,” she said.

Eden reiterated what her fellow panelists said.

“All of our paths look a little bit wavy, but that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do,” she said. “Dabble in this, apply for something off Misha’s list, go to that club meeting, try new things. That will help you build your confidence and build your skills, but also what you want to focus on. A lot of us won’t go on to be ‘ecologists,’ we’ll go on to all these different types of jobs. Sometimes that can feel a little bit like, ‘Am I successful? Did I do the right thing?’ You did, and it’s awesome we get to use this degree in so many other ways.”