Personal Statement

It was the beginning of my last semester at Appalachian State University and I was engaged in a study with the New River Conservancy on a perennial stream running through West Jefferson, North Carolina. This rural region in the Blue Ridge Mountains is home to an intriguing and festive cash crop, Christmas trees, as well as cattle farms scattered about. Nostalgia washed over me as the landscape reminded me of summers working in the gardens and fields of my grandparent’s home. The specific creek where I was working happened to be on the property of a farm that had once produced both cattle and Christmas trees. When I first arrived at the site, there was little to no sign of farming. The fields were full of lush grass, and there was a pristine, untouched look to the whole area. It was teeming with life - not something you’d expect from farmed land.

I was to collaborate with a graduate student of biology at Appalachian State to conduct a post-remediation test on Naked Creek, which had experienced intense hydrological and environmental changes during the restoration four years prior. My mind was racing with excitement during my first visit to the property for two reasons. I could now show off my vast knowledge of ecology and botanical skill to my new colleague, and for the opportunity to learn from this challenging real-world project. Years of work and observation were put into turning this old, used up farmland into a productive habitat, and my evaluation would determine the effectiveness of the remediation. The scale of this study was new to me, but I have always had an aggressively optimistic outlook and was eager for the challenge.

Over the next couple months I attended meetings with our contact at the New River Conservancy to discuss plans and what needed to be tested. Through these meetings I was able to understand the planning and design that go into a the full remediation project. There were three day-lit feeder streams, creekbed morphology reconstruction, slope grading on the stream bank, and a 30 foot riparian buffer zone planted with native trees and shrubs. I was stunned by the craftsmanship and precise drawings that were produced. What intrigued me most of all was the process that transformed a dilapidated plot of land into such a lively ecosystem. These meetings were my first real interaction with landscape architecture and what it can do - I was captivated.

My appreciation for the craft grew with each visit to the site; wading hip-deep in ice cold water following the newly remodeled stream bed; taking soil samples on the precisely sloped banks; watching the fading sunlight filter through the branches of the trees planted in the riparian buffer; seeing the multitude of fish species using the now day-lit waterways as their new home. I wanted everyone to experience the joy I felt from this environment and what it had become. When testing was complete, we concluded the stream’s health rating had increased from "poor" to "excellent" proving that the master plan had worked.

Environmental transformation has always been part of my life. Devoting my time to my family's gardens, as well as keeping an abundance of indoor plants, has led me to a certain gratitude for my surroundings and their development. This intrinsic love for growth and regeneration is what led me to study biology during undergrad. Adjusting to the demands of college was difficult for me, but when I began to explore the core requirements of my biology program, I found my passions reinvigorated. Utilizing opportunities available to me in my courses helped me understand what I wanted to do in life. I began producing work that would leave me with the desire to pursue landscape architecture.

Reflecting back on this project I found that I was more interested in the actual process of transforming the environment rather than the act of testing it, which is what I thought I wanted to do with my life. I want to create environments that are pristine and give everyone the same joy I felt while working on the Naked Creek Project. I would like to focus my area of study on stormwater management so that I can improve safety, beauty, and environmental health in urban settings. I believe I have the drive and necessary skills to make this passion a reality by completing a degree at North Carolina State University for landscape architecture.