My name is Stephanie Barron (She/Hers) and I am of mixed Chiracahuan Apache, Indigenous Mexican, and German descent. I have lived all over the U.S but currently live in Missoula, Montana – which are the ancestorial territories of the Bitterroot Salish and Pend d’Orielle peoples. I graduated from Randolph College with a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies in 2014 and have spent the time since undergrad seizing every paid field opportunity I can. I have worked with and for federal, state, tribal, and non-profit entities in the fields of botany, forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and environmental education. Most recently I completed the University of Montana’s Natural Resource Conflict Resolution graduate certificate program; I am continuing my theoretical development by pursuing a Masters degree in Environmental Science at the University of Montana. My graduate work focuses on shifting community perceptions of carnivores through decolonial youth education around carnivore-conflict preparedness and prevention. I also do a significant amount of work on dismantling colonial ideas of Wilderness and facilitating conversations on what genuine relationship-based consultation and collaboration with tribes looks like. Engaging communities in shifting perspectives and approaches to human-carnivore conflict in ways that facilitate greater relationship with these species and the land is what I am most passionate about. In my free time, I enjoy cooking and being outside as much as possible, sometimes with my own mini-carnivore Ziggy Starcat.  Here is a picture of me in the desert of southern Utah on Traditional Ute and Southern Paiute land.

Daniel is a Fish and Wildlife Service DFP Fellow. In the summer, he will be working in Colorado to create a geodatabase to help site renewable energy projects. He is an undergraduate student at California State University, Northridge, studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in GIS. After graduating, he plans to secure a permanent job as a wildlife biologist, working to conserve our biodiversity. In his free time, Daniel enjoys hiking, playing tennis, and spending time with friends and family.

Lindsay is originally from southeast Alaska, where she spent much of her time learning and playing in rich, old-growth forests. Later in life, she moved to southcentral Alaska and attended the University of Alaska Anchorage, where she developed her skills as a wildlife biologist while working on an undergraduate thesis that examined breeding ecology of tree swallows. During her time at the university, she also focused on understanding the importance of citizen science and engagement through leading a program called "Birds n Bogs," where she guided citizens conducting independent bird surveys for species' population information and spatial distribution.

After successfully completing her undergraduate degree, Lindsay traveled to the East Coast where she worked in the field with piping plovers and other shorebird species. She then decided to apply to Virginia Tech's fish and wildlife conservation graduate program. Currently, she is studying the conservation implications of migratory species by conducting population dynamics research on migratory Arctic-breeding shorebirds. Lindsay remains passionate about citizen science, engagement and outreach efforts, and accessible science and outdoors for everyone.

Jaylin Solberg grew up in Minnesota and received her B.S. in Fisheries & Wildlife Biology at the University of North Dakota in Spring 2020. Since 2017, Jaylin worked on multiple state and federal research projects with multiple species including waterfowl, bats, and multiple large mammals, mainly ungulates. Jaylin started her M.S. in Ecology in Fall 2021 at Utah State University researching how to account for ecological neighborhoods to better understand mule deer abundance on restored habitat in Utah. Her research interests include spatial and landscape ecology, resource selection, and wildlife management. Her long-term goals include becoming a wildlife biologist to manage wildlife and habitat on public lands and to increase human diversity on public lands.

Leah Shizuru was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and is kanaka ʻōiwi (Native Hawaiian). She is a graduate student at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her current research focuses on phylogenomics and population connectivity of ʻēkaha kū moana (antipatharians) throughout the Hawaiian Archipelago. Her love for the ocean, community and home motivate Leah to engage in efforts that support sustainability and conservation of natural resources and rich culture.

Laura grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, where she developed a lifelong love of the natural world. After earning her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Kenyon College, she led and developed science-based education programs for both the Audubon Society of Portland and the Oregon Zoo before ultimately choosing to transition back towards her passion for biological research and conservation work. She is now a Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech working on pollinator biology and ecology.

Claire Legaspi is from Austin, Texas and attends Texas A&M University. Claire's major is in Ecology and Conservation Biology and her main interest is in fisheries science. Claire is very excited to participate in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Directorate Fellows Program this summer.

Summer Lauder is a second-year Master’s student in the Forestry program at North Carolina State University. She earned her Bachelor’s in Agricultural and Environmental Systems from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Summer aspires to pursue a career in science communication and outreach while continuing to help protect the environment and develop sustainable solutions.

Shan Wong is an American of Hong Kong origin. She is a Ph.D. candidate and a Presidential Graduate Fellow at Texas Tech University, studying the population genetics and mycorrhizal association of Vanilla species in Costa Rica and seed germination in another orchid, Platanthera, in the USA. Earlier, she was a McNair Scholar completing her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences from Florida International University with an undergrad research studying invasive orchids and their mycorrhizal fungi in southern Florida. During her time in undergrad, Shan worked in multiple positions as an intern at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in Hong Kong, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and volunteered at Guangxi University, China. Later, Shan completed her Master’s degree in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management at the University of Oxford supported by the Frost Scholarship. She became increasingly interested in natural resource management through her graduate experience and master's research in Europe. Her interests include community ecology, island biogeography, wildlife conservation, and wildlife trade policy and management. She is a budding ecologist, passionate about biodiversity conservation and would like to be a professional scientist contributing towards it. Shan is also an active member of the IUCN Orchid Specialist Group and Illegal Trade Group, and coordinator (2022-2023) of the PlantingScience initiative of the Botanical Society of America. 

Meethila is a Bangladeshi-American raised in New York who recently moved to Louisiana. She became a nature lover and conservation enthusiast when she first ventured out from the concrete jungles of New York and began to understand the planet in a new way. Her experience on a 10-day research cruise to explore underwater volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean solidified her passion for conservation and urged her to pursue science communication to help get the public interested as well. She is currently working on finishing up her Master's degree with a research focus on environmental education and communication.