Jennifer Chastant
Doctoral Candidate
Florida Atlantic University
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
My Dad's passion for the environment rubbed off on me at a very young age.
I fell in love with nature through hiking and camping.
In college, I found myself enjoying the Biology / Ecology classes the most because they challenged me.
I found my first field tech job (working for a grad student) on a flyer in the Bio building.
I found the Texas A&M wildlife job board and continued to work and travel throught the U.S.
After 3 yrs of doing other people's research, I had figured out that I liked birds.
I completed my Master's in Wildlife Ecology from Mississippi State - studying cormorants.
I got a monitoring job with FWS and quickly realized I missed doing research.
Education
High School
Bachelor
University of Georgia
University of Georgia
Career
Doctoral Candidate
I study ecological systems to help protect and restore our planet.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Environment & Nature
Science
Upholding a Cause and Belief
Day to Day
As a grad student, half the year I'm in the field (driving airboats and playing with wading birds) every day collecting data for my research. The other 6 months, I'm in the office writing reports and compiling data.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Volunteer to help out on as many different research projects as you can find. Grad students are always looking for free help.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Parents:
"You should major in Engineering - there is no money in Biology."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
