Alyssa85b
Oct 18, 2017
Graduate / Need input of MS Environmental Studies Statement of Purpose - graduate program [4]
I am hoping to get into the graduate program at San Jose State University. I am having a hard time with my statement of purpose and am looking for feedback. I kind of fizzle out at the end and get writers block.
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Humans are fixers by nature, it seems we must have our hands in everything. There is a trend emerging in the restoration field that forests need human intervention to reach their full potential. Organizations that have historically been about preserving coast redwood forests are shifting to a model that encourages selective harvesting. It is my fear that the protected coast redwood forests in our state will soon be targeted. The goal of my thesis research would be to provide meaningful data to better understand how these forest types recover after logging events. It is my hope that my research can help land managers better understand what their role should be in the recovery process.
My love for the environment started at a young age, wandering around and exploring what nature had to offer. Once in high school, I stumbled upon an opportunity to volunteer at a science camp in the Santa Cruz mountains. It was there that my passion grew and intertwined into who I am as a person. I volunteered, for four years and over 1500 hours, leading primary school children through the forest teaching them about the importance of preserving these natural ecosystems. From then on, I knew I wanted to pursue a higher education in Environmental Studies.
I started my college studies at a local community college right out of high school. I juggled working full-time and school for a few years. Ultimately, I took on a higher paying position in the telecommunications industry and put my education on the back burner. Eventually, the company outsource and I found myself getting ready to welcome my daughter into the world unemployed and without a degree. After my daughter was born, I really began to reflect on the environmental issues we face and how they would impact my daughter and her future children. I decided I needed to make finishing my degree a priority for both her future and mine. I returned to San Jose State determined to finish my BS in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Energy.
I came back to San Jose State with a different mindset. This was not just school it was mine and my daughter's future. I strived for perfection in every course I took, earning recognition as a Dean's Scholar for my academic achievements. Despite having a concentration in energy, I found my projects gravitating towards a different field, forest conservation and restoration. One project I particularly enjoyed was in a course I took on Environmental Resource Analysis with Rachel Lazzeri-Aerts. I was inspired by her graduate work on survival and recovery of coast redwood forests following fire and wanted to focus my project on coast redwood forests as well. My researched centered on coast redwood tree density in old growth versus second growth forests. I wanted to know which forest type sequestered more carbon. In completing this project and many others during my undergraduate course work, I gained experience in research writing as well as in various types of data analysis.
When doing research for many of my undergraduate projects one author seemed to always come up in my results, Dr. William Russell. I found his research on coast redwood restoration through naturally recovery as well as his research on indicator species of coast redwood forest health particularly intriguing. My interests in Dr. Russell's research led me to his course on forest ecology and conservation. This course provided me with a strong background in the issues we face in preserving these rare forest types as well as just how much we still do not know about them. Dr. Russell's passion and drive to protect what little coast redwood ecosystems we have left has really motivated me to help close the gap in knowledge. To help close this gap, I would like to pursue a Master's of Science degree in Environmental Studies at San Jose State under the guidance of Dr. Russell. After completing the Graduate program, I would like to pursue a doctoral degree in hopes of being able to teach at the colligate level in the future.
I am hoping to get into the graduate program at San Jose State University. I am having a hard time with my statement of purpose and am looking for feedback. I kind of fizzle out at the end and get writers block.
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coast redwood restoration
Humans are fixers by nature, it seems we must have our hands in everything. There is a trend emerging in the restoration field that forests need human intervention to reach their full potential. Organizations that have historically been about preserving coast redwood forests are shifting to a model that encourages selective harvesting. It is my fear that the protected coast redwood forests in our state will soon be targeted. The goal of my thesis research would be to provide meaningful data to better understand how these forest types recover after logging events. It is my hope that my research can help land managers better understand what their role should be in the recovery process.
My love for the environment started at a young age, wandering around and exploring what nature had to offer. Once in high school, I stumbled upon an opportunity to volunteer at a science camp in the Santa Cruz mountains. It was there that my passion grew and intertwined into who I am as a person. I volunteered, for four years and over 1500 hours, leading primary school children through the forest teaching them about the importance of preserving these natural ecosystems. From then on, I knew I wanted to pursue a higher education in Environmental Studies.
I started my college studies at a local community college right out of high school. I juggled working full-time and school for a few years. Ultimately, I took on a higher paying position in the telecommunications industry and put my education on the back burner. Eventually, the company outsource and I found myself getting ready to welcome my daughter into the world unemployed and without a degree. After my daughter was born, I really began to reflect on the environmental issues we face and how they would impact my daughter and her future children. I decided I needed to make finishing my degree a priority for both her future and mine. I returned to San Jose State determined to finish my BS in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Energy.
I came back to San Jose State with a different mindset. This was not just school it was mine and my daughter's future. I strived for perfection in every course I took, earning recognition as a Dean's Scholar for my academic achievements. Despite having a concentration in energy, I found my projects gravitating towards a different field, forest conservation and restoration. One project I particularly enjoyed was in a course I took on Environmental Resource Analysis with Rachel Lazzeri-Aerts. I was inspired by her graduate work on survival and recovery of coast redwood forests following fire and wanted to focus my project on coast redwood forests as well. My researched centered on coast redwood tree density in old growth versus second growth forests. I wanted to know which forest type sequestered more carbon. In completing this project and many others during my undergraduate course work, I gained experience in research writing as well as in various types of data analysis.
When doing research for many of my undergraduate projects one author seemed to always come up in my results, Dr. William Russell. I found his research on coast redwood restoration through naturally recovery as well as his research on indicator species of coast redwood forest health particularly intriguing. My interests in Dr. Russell's research led me to his course on forest ecology and conservation. This course provided me with a strong background in the issues we face in preserving these rare forest types as well as just how much we still do not know about them. Dr. Russell's passion and drive to protect what little coast redwood ecosystems we have left has really motivated me to help close the gap in knowledge. To help close this gap, I would like to pursue a Master's of Science degree in Environmental Studies at San Jose State under the guidance of Dr. Russell. After completing the Graduate program, I would like to pursue a doctoral degree in hopes of being able to teach at the colligate level in the future.