Alumni and Friends

Katie Merrill graduated with an emphasis in Park Management Interpretation in 2000 and spent subsequent seasons working at Baxter State Park and Massachusetts State Parks. At Baxter, she first worked as a campground attendant and then worked her way up to a campground ranger doing maintenance, recording park statistics, designing informational displays and communicating with the public. During the winter seasons, she did part-time work as an administrative assistant. She now works a full-time job as Science Curriculum Coordinator for the Springfield Museums in Springfield, Massachusetts, a group of four museums situated around the town green- the Springfield Science Museum, the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts and the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum.

Ted Frazer gets to travel to some of the country's most beautiful parks and forests for his job as Forestry Technician (Fire) and Assistant Fire Use Module Leader with the US Forest Service in Choteau, Montana—unfortunately, he gets to travel to these places because they are on fire. His specific duty during a fire is to serve as the assistant module leader/squad boss, meaning he is directly responsible for his crew's safety and for making the tactical decisions. During fire assignments, Ted might work over sixteen hours a day constructing handline, performing fire operations, flying helicopters and mopping up.

Amanda Baker graduated with a major in ecology and went directly to graduate school at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She then enrolled in a Biology PhD program with a concentration in ecology, and her research focused on plant-insect interactions with an exotic cactus moth and native cacti. More specifically, she looked at the effects that the moth has on two common Florida cactus species, how habitat affects species, and the effect of fire on the moths.

Tony Cardoso graduated with a degree in environmental policy and now works as Citizen Outreach Director in New York City for the Fund for Public Interest Research (FFPIR). After graduation, he worked at a state park and then began training for his position with FFPIR. He canvassed for them in Hartford, CT, and Boston, MA, before moving to NYC at the end of the summer. Tony had canvassed during the previous summer and was basically on track to apply for this higher-level position with the organization. Now as an Outreach Director he is charge of recruitment, campaign work and administrative duties. In the future, he plans on going to law school and getting involved in non-profit and public interest law.