| Brett Bowser ’04 Continues Track Record of Achievement With Department of Homeland Security Few college students can claim to having run for a state legislative seat while still an undergraduate, let alone facing an opponent who was at the time Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the college they attend. Brett Bowser ’04, Environmental Policy, may lay claim to that bit of trivia. It is testament to his outgoing personality and forceful belief in the possibilities available to those who believe in themselves, and who are willing to put forth every effort to achieve their goals. On a campus that is open to many perspectives Bowser was a deeply committed, very vocal Republican with the persuasive skills to gain the attention of party bosses at the state level. During his senior year, Bowser earned the Republication nomination for the State District 45 Seat representing the towns of Burnham, Freedom, Knox, Montville, Palermo, Thorndike, Troy and Unity. His opponent was Democratic incumbent John Piotti, who at that time was Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Unity College. Given that Piotti was then and remains a highly popular State Representative from Unity who often brings attention to agricultural issues, the road to the State Legislature was steep for Bowser from the outset. However, his spirit was strong through the entire campaign, and his candidacy turned into a valuable teaching tool for students about the importance of direct involvement in democracy at all levels. The same can-do spirit, commitment to hands-on democracy and patriotic nature that made Bowser such a memorable classmate at Unity, led him to the United States Department of Homeland Security, where he is an Agriculture Specialist based in the New York Area Field Office. “My career progressed very quickly from being a county agriculture employee to working for the Southern Allegheny Conservancy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Resource Conservation and Development,” Bowser said. He joined the United States Department of Homeland Security in August of 2006. Bowser is taking on the challenges of his job with the same zeal he demonstrated while a student at Unity. “I am dealing with people from all over the world, most of whom do not speak English as their first language,” Bowser explained. “I have to be sensitive to culture difference while interacting with importers, and still ensure compliance with U.S. policy.” Often Bowser faces complex cases that require maturity, restraint, flexibility, attention-to-detail and good judgment. This is not an easy balancing act to achieve on a daily basis. In one case Bowser dealt with an importer who was trying to bring Chinese medicines into the United States. The package was very nondescript, like something one might find at a local pharmacy. He says the packages were labeled in Chinese, adding yet another challenge to the scenario. “It was hard to determine what the ingredients were,” said Bowser. “The (importer) was a Chinese-American who holds a medical doctorate from an American university. After calling upon a Chinese translator to decipher the label, it was found that the medicine contained leopard bone, something that the Chinese believe has very strong healing powers.” Bowser says that U.S. law bans this and similar exotic items from being brought into the country, guided by the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species. “It is sometimes very difficult to explain that something is not allowed in the United States, especially when a person is from a culture that does not feel the same as we do about things like wildlife products.” This is a communication challenge that Bowser regularly faces in his job. The high volume of work that Bowser is given will no doubt not change in the near future, given that the importation of agriculture products into the United States is a big business. Though he is not connected to politics in his job, there is still a component of it in practice, perhaps relating to human nature as it plays out in large, complex organizations. “There is a lot of money involved (in importation) and sometimes this can be very political,” Bowser stated. “I am asked to make decisions very quickly regarding the release of imports. I am also asked to try to make the process quick for the importer who is trying to make a living, while still ensuring that American agriculture is protected and the U.S. food supply remains safe for consumers.” He admits that his job can be stressful at times. A native of Loysburg, Pennsylvania, a scenic, close-knit small town, Bowser shared a love of nature that seemed woven into the fabric of his community. It was the kind of community that closed the local high school for two days each deer hunting season as a nod to the sport. Farming was and remains a way of life in Loysburg. During his formative years the call of the wild seemed more compelling to Bowser than lure of academics, though he possessed academic talent and ample abilities. Bowser’s mother served as his role model for academic dedication and achievement. She earned her college degree with honors from Pennsylvania State University later in life, beginning work on her college degree when Bowser was in elementary school. She was awarded her degree just as he was entering high school. Despite such a good role model, Bowser was never captivated by the academic path. He liked hands-on learning, which became one among other reasons why connected so well with the Unity College curriculum and approach. “I was a decent student (in high school),” Bowser noted. Graduating at the top of his agriculture program in high school, he was involved in just about every activity that his high school offered. He had a good role model in his mother, who he learned back in grammar school not to interrupt unnecessarily when she was studying. “I learned very quickly that Mom didn’t take kindly to interruption when she was buried in calculus work,” Bowser said. With good humor he quips that he also learned that he wanted to avoid taking calculus at all cost. Unity was the second college that Bowser attended. He began his college studies at Allegheny College in Maryland, but did so with the intention of attending Unity soon as he had some extra money saved. When he arrived at the Unity College campus in September of 2001, Bowser realized that Unity was everything he hoped it would be, and he immersed himself in the experience. “I had been to the Unity area to visit friends of my dad, who lived in Thorndike (Maine), and was aware of Unity College but really didn’t know anything about it,” said Bowser. “My high school guidance councilor had been to a college fair and saw a display, and she told me that she immediately thought of me. She brought back all the information available at the display.” Bowser visited campus in March of that year and was hooked. “I loved the small classes, the rural setting, ‘recycled’ buildings as dorms, and the people that I met,” he said. “Everything that I encountered just made my decision that much easier.” As for his Professors at Unity, Bowser stressed the respect he has great for them as a group. “It would be wrong for me to single out any particular individuals as my favorites,” Bowser noted. He did agree to mention a few that stand out in his mind, among them Associate Professor Amy Arnett, Professor Charles Cinnamon, Assistant Professor Doug Van Horn, Director of Sustainability / Associate Professor Mick Womersley, and Professor Potter. “Now that I am gone from campus, I respect Professors Arnett, Cinnamon and Van Horn all the more,” Bowser said. “I have tremendous respect for them.” “I had gotten really good at getting by, but these three demanded that I pull my weight in their classes,” Bowser continued. “I failed a class with each one of these professors. I am not ashamed to admit it. I didn’t fail because I couldn’t do the work, I failed because I didn’t do the work.” He started his career at Unity with excellent grades, transferring in outstanding grades as well. Then he says he got lazy. “I can BS with the best, but these three cut right through that,” Bowser said. He took those three classes over with the same three professors, achieving vastly different results. Bowser is grateful for the wake-up call that he received. Failing taught him a good deal about himself and how to be successful, Bowser says. Another professor who made a strong impression on Bowser was Mick Womersley. “I will never forget Mick Womersley,” said Bowser. “I learned a lot from him, did not always agree with him, but still really like the man.” Dave Potter was also on Bowser’s short list of professors who achieved lasting top-of-mind awareness, though he repeatedly credited them all for their talent and dedication. “Anyone who has had Dave (Potter) and doesn’t appreciate him for what he offers doesn’t belong at Unity,” Bowser stated. Rounding out the list, last and certainly by no means ever least, is Associate Professor Nancy Ross, who was his academic advisor. “I hole memories of her near and dear,” said Bowser. “There are many more who I could mention. All those who teach at Unity bring something special into the classroom. I don’t think that you could find a better group anywhere.” “I feel very strongly that the diverse backgrounds of the professionals at Unity make it a wonderful place to learn, but more importantly … grow.” |