Future Endeavors

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

The courses I've taken at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey have prepared me to endeavor to reach my future goals.  I want to save the environment, but I also want to help people.  My next step after graduation is to acquire a job in the environmental science field, preferably one related to water conservation and quality analysis with a focus on policy and regulation in the state of New Jersey.

My passion for saving the environment will always be the biggest factor in what I do.  Before I came to Stockton, I wanted to follow in my uncles footsteps and become a Certified Safety

Professional, or a Certified Industrial Hygienist; however, after acquiring and internship with The NJ Tree Foundation and working in the city of Camden, NJ, I have found that the preservation of America's wild lands are key in protecting people.  Air quality, water quality, sustainability, environmental planning and policy, and pollution regulation and remediation are key concepts I've taken from my time here at Stockton that will help me in my future endeavors to save the environment and the people who live in it.

While many students at college live on campus, do not work a full-time job, and have much more time to study and get better grades, I unfortunately did not have this luxury.  My parents divorced when I was 20 and, without my father's income, my older brother and I were left with no choice but to work full-time retail positions to pay the bills.  Nevertheless, while I may not have been as involved in clubs and school activities as other students, my experiences in the work force have led me to management positions.  Timeliness, hard work, and the ability to solve customer service issues on the spot have led me to be a strong willed and determined individual.  I feel that my experience in the work force and in the classroom has made me a well-rounded individual, and I hope to use my skills to land a job with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  

After learning everything I can about water quality analysis, soil science and air quality assessments, as well as routine survey and monitoring techniques, I am going to apply for jobs with the state (NJDEP, others).  From there I will do my very best, using the knowledge, skills, and analytic and field work techniques I learned at Stockton to help the bays, estuaries, forests, and common man in general in the great state of New Jersey.  With enough experience and hard work, I hope to then land a job with the EPA, and perhaps help negotiate and enforce some real environmental changes that will help protect air and water quality by developing unique water management plans, save wildlife and vegetation by creating better-applied land development rights, strictly enforce environmental education in public schools on "green" energy and the importance of straying from foreign oil and fossil fuel use, as well as protect workers in both the industrial and commercial occupations from hazardous chemicals, carcinogens, volatile organic compounds, and other toxic substances.

Before Stockton, my only goal was to make money and become a successful author.  After learning about the environmental issues we face today over the course of my 3 years here, I will not stop until I do my part to save not only the American environment, but the world as a whole.  While this goal may seem naive and even outlandish to some, I know that with enough hard work, amazing things can be accomplished.  Fresh out of high school, I never saw myself graduating college.  To tell the truth, I never even had plans of attending college. I never thought I would make it through my last semester, working 30 hours a week and commuting to school every day to attend 7 classes, as well as drive to Camden for my internship with The NJ Tree Foundation.  Yet, somehow I managed to do it.  I know that in the right hands, I can accomplish amazing things.