Paulina Jones is a senior majoring in environmental studies with a concentration in environmental management and policy (EMP) with a double-minor in biology and legal studies.
“I chose my major and minors because of my interest in wildlife conservation. The EMP major covers an immense breadth of environmental focal areas and requires classes in the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet, and economy. I was most drawn to this major because of its dynamicity and customizability,” stated Jones, who has been able to focus her classes around her interest in wildlife conservation, specifically.
“Minoring in biology reinforced the scientific, biological approach to wildlife conservation. Further, minoring in legal studies provided me with a fundamental understanding of how policy is created and implemented, and how research findings are used to inform and implement effective conservation policy,” Jones said.
Jones encourages people interested in environmental studies to be aware that there are many possibilities within this major, and that it is best to have an understanding of your long-term goals so that you can take classes that will help prepare you for those.
“The most challenging aspect of this major was the workload. Being a non-traditional, full-time student, I took 15-18 credit hours every semester. Most evenings and weekends were spent reading or writing papers,” said Jones. “The most rewarding part of my major was the feeling I’d get when, mid-way through the semester, I’d start seeing the interconnectedness of all the classes I was taking, regardless of their specific discipline. I have felt my brain’s capacity to synthesize information grow tremendously. Also, pursuing this degree has allowed me to practice applying wildlife conservation measures right on campus!”
Jones’s favorite class within her major was Strategies for Sustainability with Dr. Dee Eggers, associate professor of environmental studies, which pulled from many different disciplines to illustrate how the principles of sustainability can be applied in nearly every sector of human existence. Within her legal studies minor, she enjoyed Constitutional Law with Mark Gibney, Belk Distinguished Professor of Humanities and professor of political science, because it was incredibly challenging and interesting. Animal Behavior with Dr. Rebecca Helm, assistant professor of biology, was her favorite class within the biology minor because the hands-on labs and endless practice in scientific writing/applied biostatistics sharpened my ability to understand and interpret scientific studies.
“I was pleased to have the opportunity to learn how to preserve avian specimens (collected during my undergraduate research project) for the university’s biology and environmental studies collections. I was also able to test a novel lighting solution to reduce bird-window collisions at Rhodes-Robinson Hall. I was surprised and pleased that the sustainability council of UNC Asheville was willing to help make this project possible,” stated Jones.
She would like to use her education to serve as a basis for eventually implementing a policy that would allow for the public funding and operation of regional wildlife rehabilitation facilities across the state or nation.
“My parting advice is this: don’t be afraid to change the course of your academic journey. I started as an astronomy major at a community college in Seattle. I then dropped out and went to cosmetology school for a year. I left that program, moved back to North Carolina, and studied philosophy, then French, then biology at A.B. Technical Community College. Finally, I landed on environmental management and policy at UNC Asheville. It’s okay to be undecided. What matters is that you continue to try different things until you find what suits your interests,” stated Jones.
When she is not studying at the greenhouse or in Rhodes-Robinson Hall she enjoys occasionally making art and jewelry from the bones of roadkill and would like to become a certified taxidermist someday.