Jenna Long Email & Phone Number

Ever since I was a child, the environment has always been a passion of mine. My father worked in nature and often brought it home for fun. I watched tadpoles turn to frogs and wild plants turn into food. Caring for and about the environment has always been second nature to me. Even when the news about global climate change caused a deep fear in me, I still worked hard to prove that I cared in class and out. In fact, as I got my degree in History, my mind was still on ecosystems and nature. I wrote papers on the founding of national parks and the great John Muir. However, the fear of working in an industry with the turmoil of climate change hampering it kept me from pursuing it. Then, as an adult, I realized that there is hope. I saw that hope in action during trips to national parks where restoration happens regularly and to the Great Barrier Reef where a marine biologist told me that there is hope to be found in science. The travels changed my mind and thus the course of my life. I wish to turn a lifelong passion into a lifelong career. I want to take a part in that hope and build on it. I aim to achieve that by working diligently, using my wide range of skills. When I discover something I want to do as a career, I go all in. I took classes to become a teacher while working in childcare to be the best I could be. I asked advice from my managers in customer service for dealing with seemingly impossible issues. I have worked in childcare, honing my ability to calmly handle crises, the ability to hit the ground running, and multitasking. My experiences in customer service positions gave me knowledge in de-escalation as well as an ability to communicate effectively. My experiences in going back to school multiple times has taught me to be flexible in all things and the importance of adaptation. I learned the importance of organization during my time working in a library as well as many technology skills. Those technology skills as well as my time writing intensely for my BA in History give me a variety of skills to use every day in every situation. My goal is to bring those skills into the field of environmental science so that I can use my varied skill set for something I am passionate about.