Nicola Fiorey Wins the Locandro Award for Outstanding Student in Natural Resources

I think that my path in life has been, and always will be, firmly dictated by a sense of gratitude toward the world around me. I grew up in suburban New Jersey, spending lots of time in the wet woods at the end of my dead-end street--leaping across streams, inspecting skunk cabbage, and watching deer bound away through the brush. This experience was something I took for granted for a large portion of my life. Despite it being so formative, I still thought of 'nature' as being this far-away thing, accessed mostly through fantastical documentaries about jungles and deserts. As I got older, I grew to realize that the wild spots of my youth, fragmented as they were by highways and development, were one of the brightest spots in my life. I also realized they need protecting. I started out my higher education attending community college for art, but switched to studying biology, and then ecology, as I encountered mentors who changed my life. I went from being a florist who took classes on the side to someone who enjoyed studying plant communities scientifically! I’ve had amazing experiences at Rutgers, and had doors to many ecological interests opened to me during my time there. I am continually thankful to my professors, who encouraged me every step of the way. In my work now, I frequently take a step back and think about how well-prepared I was by my classes and the labs I worked closely with. Currently, I am at NJDEP, where I work to protect regulated wetlands and riparian areas from disturbance. It’s a job I deeply enjoy and find very fulfilling. In the future, I would like to return to school and pursue a PhD. I really enjoy the more technical side of ecology and still feel like there is so much I’d like to learn!