Kenya
EDUCATION
B.S. in Conservation Biology,St. Lawrence University. (NY, USA)
STAFF PROFILE
A citizen of the world, Tara Hetz has been living abroad and traveling for most her life. “Once you have the travel bug, you just can’t get rid of it!” Legally, she is a citizen of the United States and the Netherlands, where she was born. Tara spent the first seven years of her life in Kenya and Tanzania, where she learned some of her most important life lessons. Her abroad experience continued and she learned the importance of a conservation, global community and cultural acceptance.
Tara earned her B.S. in Conservation Biology from St. Lawrence University (SLU), northern New York. She spent a semester at University College in Utrecht, the Netherlands reconnecting to her roots. During her junior year at SLU, she studied marine biology and Aboriginal studies at James Cook University in Australia among the wallabies and white cockatoos. Tara experienced breathing under water for the first time while swimming with humphead parrotfish and green sea turtles. Her major taught her that conservation biology is not just about the science of species and ecosystem conservation, it should also focus on communicating with humans to protect, preserve and sustainably manage our natural resources. After graduating from SLU, she worked on the Appalachian Trail educating campers about Leaving No Trace and having fun in the woods. She then spent 6 months on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea helping with a PhD project focused on the influence of bushmeat hunting on the diurnal primates of the island.
Outside of traveling, Tara loves to spend her time outdoors, with friends and family. She considers Vermont part of her home and loves swimming in the waters of Lake Champlain, hiking the Green Mountains and eating pancakes with real, Vermont Maple Syrup. Tara is very excited to be returning to Kenya to work and connect with local field staff and community, share her passion for sustainability and conservation initiatives, and to connect meaningfully with the SFS students.
