06 Oct Reflections on my last day

Today is the last day in the Resource Assistant Program! It has been a wonderful eight months in the State, Private, and Tribal Forestry Department and it’s a bittersweet feeling to be leaving them. I wished I could have spent just a little more time there. Being the Forest Legacy Resource Assistant has given me a new perspective on what the natural resources field looks like. Forest Legacy is a land conservation program that works with the states to conserve forest lands. I never knew these types of programs existed and how the value of conservation exists in different capacities. I saw the behind-the-scenes of how the program works and how partnerships with the Forest Service look like. In addition, I learned technical skills related to writing briefing papers and managing grants. Everything was new to me, and I tried to pack in as much as I could in my 8 months, and I think I did.

I would like to give a shout-out to the women that I have worked with. I have met many incredible women in the natural resources field and have seen how passionate and diligent they are about their work. My mentor Kathleen Moore has many years of experience and continues to work towards conservation efforts with her team in Cooperative Forestry. I want to thank her for being my mentor and guiding me during these eight months, showing me support when I didn’t believe in my work. And I want to thank the women that I have interacted with because they give me the strength to believe that I can do what I want.

This was an amazing opportunity to have to work with the Forest Service and maybe I will find my way back there in the future.

-I had a virtual farewell party on Teams but I forgot to take a picture! So I’ll just include a picture of how it would be like to meet me on Teams!