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SFS alumni are involved in diverse, meaningful, and inspiring careers, and are making a difference in communities around the country and around the world! Check out these profiles to see what some of our alumni are up to!
NEW FEATURED ALUMNI PROFILES 
Gayle Schmidt - Australia Fall '02
As manager of public programs at The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, Gayle Schmidt Australia Fall ’02 works to connect people and nature. Through special events and programs, community members have fun while developing an appreciation for the natural world.
Sarah Ebel - Mexico Spring '09
As a student at SFS Mexico, Sarah Ebel worked on a team to develop and teach a pilot program on conservation and ecology for students at the Puerto San Carlos Secondary School. Now, as the recipient of a $25,000 Watson Fellowship, Sarah will build upon her SFS research. She will be spending the next year studying experiential, environmental education in coastal communities around the world.
Maya Higgins - Kenya Fall '08
Ecotourism has been touted as a win-win for wildlife conservation and the livelihoods of local residents. As a recent recipient of the $25,000 Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, Maya Higgins Kenya Fall ’08 will embark on a five-country, year-long expedition to explore ecotourism’s possibilities and shortcomings.
Scott Donahue - TCI Fall '05
Scott is Head Sector Data Collector for the Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen’s Association
"One day, while we were camping on uninhabited East Caicos, a couple of friends and I climbed up to the top of a large hill. While looking out over the lush green vegetation and the crisp blue of the Caribbean Sea, a perfect double rainbow formed."
Eleanor Mayer - Australia Spring '01
Eleanor is Program Associate for Wicker Park Bucktown, an organization focused on creating, maintaining, and managing attractive and competitive commercial districts for two unique Chicago neighborhoods. "At SFS, I felt plugged into the environment that I was in, rather than being a tourist. As a planner, you want to be really plugged into the environment where you work."
Jordan Schaul - Mexico Spring '95
Jordan is a Conservation Biologist and Science Writer based in Alaska. "While looking out over the Sea of Cortez back in the spring of 1995, I realized that it's not the didactic training or the conferences, but how comfortable you feel in the wilderness and whether your passion drives you to contribute to science as a field biologist or in some other capacity."
 Emily Maleki - Kenya Summer '99
After nearly five years at NBC, most recently as associate producer of the Today Show, Emily is transitioning to documentary film production. "My experience at SFS allowed me to foster the gutsy side of myself -- the side that loves to explore, to meet new people, and to learn. This translated into confidence and, more importantly, a new angle for viewing the world."
Sharon Deem - Kenya Summer '85 Sharon is a veterinary epidemiologist based in the Galapagos Islands. "Every day is different in my job. I often travel the islands of the Galapagos to conduct field studies, and during these trips I am 'on call' 24 hours a day for many days at a time. These trips differ from living and working on a boat while studying Galapagos penguins, camping on land while studying the health of passerines prior to a re-introduction program, or visiting chicken farms to determine diseases that domestic birds may carry and directly or indirectly expose to wild birds."
 Darren Aronofsky - Kenya Summer '85; Alaska Summer '86 Darren Aronofsky, director of award winning films like The Wrestler, The Fountain, and Requiem for a Dream, remembers vividly the first time he saw a glacier. "I never knew ice could be blue." It was 1986, and he was a high schooler fresh from the pizza parlors and handball courts of urban Brooklyn, studying harbor seals in Alaska with SFS.
Jaime Palter - Costa Rica Fall '98
Jaime is a climate science postdoctoral teaching and research fellow at Princeton University. She recently traveled back to SFS in Costa Rica. "After meeting this summer’s crop of students and the talented new faculty, we began to suspect that my classmates, while forever special to me, are probably not unusual. The Center remains a place where students can recognize their potential for learning under the influence of a transformative program."
Rob Holmes - Kenya Fall '90
Meet Rob, founder and president of Green Living Project, who travels the world documenting successful and unique sustainability projects.
"SFS laid the foundation for building my key passions: conservation, media, and international travel. I was a self-taught photographer in Africa learning about wildlife management. And now, these passions are the heart of Green Living Project."
 Miwa Tamanaha - Mexico Fall '99
Meet Miwa, executive director of KAHEA, a grassroots non-profit conservation organization in Hawai'i.
"Like the ecosystems we seek to protect, the human interactions around ecosystems (between managers, users, politicians, and individual citizens) are incredibly complex. Success in conservation and resource management requires a deep respect and understanding of both the natural and human environment in which we work."
 Ethan Zohn - TCI Spring '95
Since winning one million dollars on Survivor: Africa, Ethan has co-founded a non-profit HIV/AIDS awareness organization called Grassroot Soccer.
"Taking on such an ambitious project [Grassroot Soccer] and transforming it from an idea to reality is a long and difficult process. We were just three guys with no experience, but we knew we had a good concept. So, we wrote the curriculum and ran a seven-month pilot program. Afterwards, we re-evaluated the plan."
 Hadas Kushnir - Kenya Spring '00
Based on her research conducted over the past four years, Hadas Kushnir, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota, is preparing recommendations to keep villagers in Tanzania safe from lion attacks. Her work was featured on a recent episode of Wild on the National Geographic Channel. Click on the link above to read more about Hadas or click here to see a You Tube clip of her interview on Wild.  Sarah Jovan - Canada Spring '98
Sarah, alumna from the Canada program, is a researcher who studies how lichen communities respond to air pollution and climate change.
"My advice is: learn good field skills early. Make time to go outside often for the rest of your employed life. It's a critical part of your continuing education. You can't be a desk-bound ecologist."
 Kristen B. Gorman - Australia Fall '94
Meet Kristen, an alumna from the Australia Fall '94 program and read about her experience conducting research on pygoscelis penguins and climate warming at the Palmer Station in Antarctica.
"To become a research scientist you must have an incredible work ethic, perseverance, and very importantly, find a graduate mentor who is a leader in the field who will develop and challenge your thinking and writing."
You can see more alumni profiles here.
We are looking for additional alumni to profile. If you would like to share your experience or would like to recommend another alumnus/a for a profile, please contact the Alumni Relations Coordinator at alumni@fieldstudies.org. 
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