The SFS Visiting Alumni Program provides alumni who are established in their careers with the opportunity to return to an SFS Center and interact with faculty members and current students. SFS alumni are well-positioned to give current students insight into environmental career paths and could potentially be an important resource to students as they contemplate the next step in their lives.

At the Center, we ask that alumni give a short presentation to students about their research or career field. In addition, we ask that alumni write a short article for our alumni newsletter, Beyond SFS, about their experience. In exchange, alumni can be provided with room and board for 2-3 nights at the Center. Due to the fact that schedules and availability of housing may change, this arrangement is subject to a final Center Director approval.

If you are interested in participating in the SFS Visiting Alumni Program, please fill out this questionnaire. If you have any questions, please email Marta Brill at mbrill@fieldstudies.org.



Wendee (Finlay) Holtcamp
Australia Fall '90; Visiting Alumna Australia Spring '08

"Last April I returned to "Warrawee," also known as the SFS Center for Rainforest Studies in Australia, a place that changed my life both personally and professionally eighteen years ago. It's hard to believe that many years have passed! When I drove down that long driveway, which seemed longer than I even remembered it, I couldn't stop smiling. I felt the energy that I'd felt the first time, the excitement of opening the door to a new chapter in my life at the time. It had been such an incredible time, so rich in all the knowledge and experiences and friendships gained."



Read more about Wendee's trip back to Australia.




Rebecca Bella Wangh 
Mexico Summer '98; Visiting Alumna Mexico Spring '08

Rebecca Bella Wangh recently traveled back to the SFS Center for Coastal Studies, located in Puerto San Carlos on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur. Rebecca didn't return to SFS-CCS empty handed; she arrived bearing a series of collages inspired by the community of Puerto San Carlos that were created upon her return to the U.S. after completing the program ten years ago.

"As portraits, I hope they capture the patience and playfulness of the people in this town. I used brown paper bags as my drawing surface and included found objects (milkweed seeds and chips of windshield glass) because I wanted to follow the Mexican example of making something out of nothing. I remember boys in the town making a beautiful kite out of sticks and a pink plastic bag.  I wanted to continue this technique of artistic re-use. Art honors a community, gives it history and pride, so I planned the trip to give these images back to Puerto San Carlos."

Read more about Rebecca's trip back to Mexico.




Darin Busby
Kenya Fall ‘97; Visiting Alumnus Kenya Fall '07

"In the fall of 1997, amid U.S. State Department warnings of rioting and protests spurred by the coming elections in Nairobi and Mombasa, I left my secure world in San Diego for three and a half months studying Wildlife Management and Ecology with SFS.  Other than the images of Maasai warriors and exotic wildlife that I had grown up seeing in National Geographic, I knew little about Kenya. This was my first time traveling alone outside of the U.S., and I had no idea how much this program would impact the rest of my life."

Read more about Darin's trip to SFS Kenya.




Chris Detwiller
Mexico Fall '98; Intern Mexico '00 - '01; Visiting Alumnus Mexico Fall '07

"When my internship at SFS was ending back in the summer of 2001, not a single part of me wanted to leave. I had loved my time there as a student in the fall of 1998, and knew from the time I left that I would apply to return as an intern. The year-long internship was just as wonderful, providing a rich learning experience and the opportunity to make many great friends.

I must say, however, that once the opportunity to return to Puerto San Carlos presented itself, I was a little apprehensive. I thought I may have built it up too much in my head, and to return would be a disappointment, or I'd return to see that things had gone downhill. But after the visit, I'm so glad I went back. The program is running strong; the town is more or less exactly how I remembered it; the new professors are great; and the new students reminded me so much of the students when I was there. I had a wonderful time, and of course it reminded me of all of the wonderful friends I made during my time there."

Read more about Chris's trip back to Mexico.