Taryn Contento
MS - Ecology 2021 I grew up in the Sonoran Desert surrounded by Saguaro cactus, dodging javelina and poking scorpions on our walks home from school. During my undergrad at the University of Arizona, I pursued a degree in Sustainable Plant Systems and Spanish, wanting to follow my dream of farming in a land of eternal sunshine and little rainfall. After a post-graduation 1,000-mile bike tour across Arizona and California I took a job as a Forestry Technician. Monitoring forest health in Yosemite and Sequoia & Kings NP, I quickly found my passion in understanding how each part of an entire ecosystem works together. After achieving my goal of spending more nights under the stars than under a roof, I continued on my journey towards exploring ecology more deeply and learning to delve into the data I was collecting in the field. I completed my graduate degree in Ecology at CSU in 2021 as the Mountain Systems Ecology and Restoration Lab’s first student. I now hope to engage both people and natural systems, knowing conservation is at the nexus of people and place. |