Amelia Howe has juggled a lot during her college career, including internships, two jobs, a position in student government, fieldwork in Alaska and being a member of the CSU snowboard team.
“Amelia has been heavily involved in her studies and work with the Institute for the Built Environment, where she has helped the college set a vision for the Michael Smith Natural Resources building,” says Rob Novak, communications director of the Warner College of Natural Resources. “She’s a real Warner Ram, through and through.”
As she finished her degree in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources with a minor in Global Environmental Sustainability, she reflected on her college experiences, including internships with the U.S. Forest Service at the Canyon Lake Ranger District and the City of Fort Collins Environmental Planning Department, as well as her current position at the Institute for the Built Environment in the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Although Howe has accomplished a lot, it has not been easy.
“Balancing two jobs, a full course load and taking the time to do the things I love, such as hiking, snowboarding and spending time with friends, has been challenging,” Howe says. “There have been many times where I have had to forcefully prioritize schoolwork.”
She has also taken advantage of extracurricular activities aside from the snowboarding team: She’s a member of the Warner College Council.
“I think it is very important for students to understand that they can have a voice in their college and on the campus as a whole,” Howe says. “A college campus can seem really big and intimidating at times, but with groups such as the different college councils and ASCSU, there are outlets for students to make a difference and better the university.”
Amelia also conducted field work in southeast Alaska through the Tatoosh School.
“I spent the summer kayaking between small islands, learning all about the Rocky Intertidal Zone and camping on mossy-floor beds,” Howe says. “It will be a memory that I cherish for the rest of my life.”
After graduation, she hopes to combine her passion for the environment with her love of people in CSU’s graduate degree program in ecology, where she wants to study the value of urban natural areas for biodiversity and human well-being.
“I would love to get into urban and regional design as an environmental planner one day, or even into the field of conservation planning and management,” Howe says. “I want to reconnect people to their land and help people understand the importance that land health has on our everyday lives.”
