Stellar word of mouth from close friends who are alumni led me to the Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology program as an additional degree option. I graduated from University Park in 2012 with hopes of becoming a Wildlife Conservation Officer.
After spending much time volunteering with the Pennsylvania Game Commission nearing graduation, I quickly realized I was not law enforcement. I found out that becoming a Wildlife Biologist, an option I was unaware even existed when I entered college, was what I really wanted a little too late. Instead of following my passions, I rerouted to a nursing degree. I will never regret acquiring a nursing license, however I look forward to embracing a professional career in wildlife that I know I was always meant to pursue.
For me, every day at Penn State DuBois is my favorite experience. I have learned more in 9 weeks than I have in an entire lifetime outdoors, and I could not be more interested in the information I am learning.
As an alumni of University Park, I cannot express enough how beneficial it has been for me to have this experience on a smaller campus, and how much richer the experiences have been as a result. I look forward to seeing each of my professors every day and appreciate their reliability and consistency.
I decided to attend Penn State DuBois after I toured the campus as a high school freshman. Their wildlife program has a great reputation that I wanted to be a part of. I was nervous coming to college after being homeschooled throughout my whole life, but Penn State DuBois made me feel at home and a part of the Penn State family.
Penn State DuBois has not only helped me academically but has given me the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in life. I have been able to participate in countless out-of-class opportunities which have strengthened many skills I possess, allowed me to network with industry professionals, and build my resume.
My favorite memory at Penn State DuBois is when my friends and I talked about wildlife and shared our knowledge to youth at the Family Fun Night. It was a fun time connecting with the community about something we love - wildlife!
I have always had a passion for the outdoors and after attending Penn State DuBois, I've honed that passion to the field of forestry. After graduating with my associate degree in wildlife technology, I plan to obtain my bachelor's degree in forest ecosystem management at Penn State University Park. With that degree, I want to become a forester and manage Pennsylvania's eastern deciduous forests for future generations.
I am a first generation college student and I chose the Wildlife Technology program because I would like to work as a park ranger for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). I'm enjoying becoming close with classmates and making new friends.
I am a firm believer that this program has provided me every tool I need to be a successful Wildlife professional. The incredible faculty and staff provide an ever flowing amount of opportunity for those who take it, which is a feat made more impressive by the small campus size. I feel my knowledge is advanced for the point of my career I am in, and it all thanks to the Wildlife Technology program at Penn State DuBois.
The first of many memories that come to mind was bird banding my freshman year. I was lucky enough to extract a rare Nelson’s Sparrow from the net. I was less experienced at the time, so I checked the book for identification. I was fairly positive it was one of two rare birds, so I told my professor and lead bander Emily Thomas, what I thought it was. She didn’t believe me, and my favorite memory was the elation and surprise in her face as she took the bird from the bag, and realized it was a bird she hadn’t banded in her 20 years of experience. That was a good day.
I am currently enrolled in my bachelor’s program at University Park for Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, so I have yet to directly use the Wildlife Technology degree to qualify for work. However, the faculty and staff of the program helped promote and prepare me for countless opportunities early in my career. Because of classes and techniques taught in the program, I have interned with Lyman Run State Park, Keystone Elk Country Alliance, and the Pennsylvania Game Commission in a span of two years. I was hired as a seasonal avian ecologist for the University of Georgia in the summer of 2023. The program also provided opportunities for undergraduate research, which I was able to present at the North East Fish and Wildlife Conference in 2023. Through my experience with bird banding in the program, I was accepted to, and am currently a board member for the Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology.
I had received a Bachelors degree in Geography and Planning in 2018 from Bloomsburg University and the Wildlife degree at Penn State DuBois pair perfectly with my bachelors degree.
I can’t say enough good things about this program. The professors are amazing, they make sure you receive the best possible education you can. Classes and labs are hands on as often as possible, and we were outside as often as we could be. You receive practical field base experiences in classes and labs. If I had to choose to do it over again or not, I would choose to do it again every time.
It’s hard to pick a favorite memory or experience. The program is absolutely amazing, and the memories are ones that I will carry with me forever. If I had to choose one memory it would be traveling to the Everglades National Park over spring break in 2022. We went on hikes looking for birds, we saw alligators, we went to the beach, and we were able to go on a walk through an old cypress tree stand. It was an amazing week!
Before graduating from PSUD in May of 2022, I was offered, and accepted, a position as a Program Assistant working for the Natural Resource Conservation Service in the DuBois office.
When I first decided to go to college I knew that I loved wildlife, and the only career I could think of to work with animals was a veterinarian or zookeeper. During a Wildlife Tech visitation day I learned there are so many more career options and I decided before leaving that day I needed to be in that program.
While enrolled in the program I learned that my passion was teaching others through an experience offered within the program. From there I decided to pursue an education degree while working in the natural resource industry. While my career path has changed over the years, I still use the skills and knowledge I gained from my degrees on a daily basis both professionally and personally.
My favorite experience was a culmination of all the hands on activities, skills, and labs that were offered as part of my Penn State Experience. I was never a student that learns well from lectures. I, and many of my fellow classmates, learn best when we are living the experience and putting it all into practice like we did in the Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology Program.
The relationships built in this program are long lasting, and the network of alumni is great. I am still very close to classmates, alumni I met during my time in the program as well as the instructors. In this program, you are a person with ideas and knowledge, not a number.
Penn State DuBois was close to home and offered one of the best wildlife majors in the area. I didn't plan on going to DuBois, however, until I went to the Wildlife visitation day. I left that day telling my dad, 'If I don't go here, I will cry.'
The wildlife program at Penn State DuBois will offer some of the most amazing hands-on experiences that you cannot experience anywhere else in Pennsylvania.
After completing my associate degree in Wildlife Technology, I decided to extend my education to a bachelor's degree. Throughout my years working on my degrees, I got some awesome internships with places like Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. I was a Watershed Intern and helped with stream habitat and health. I had an internship with DCNR at Kinzua Bridge State Park, where I was able to educate the public on the wildlife in the area and interact with hundreds of people daily. That internship allowed me to interact with people from around the world who came to see the tragedy of the Kinzua Viaduct.
My favorite experience at Penn State DuBois is honestly the friends that I made. Many of us are at University Park together and still making more memories, while others graduate and share their experiences with us through social media. It is incredible the different backgrounds we came from, but we all became friends.
I came to Penn State DuBois in the early 1980's for the Wildlife Technology program and absolutely loved it. One of my favorite memories is an overnight population study of deer in the Quehanna area and finding rattlesnakes there.
I continued my education at Lock Haven University with Bachelor's degrees in Biology and Secondary Education and completed a Masters of Science Education from Clarion University.
I am a retired teacher who used my degree as a volunteer in the ornithology area. I am a bird bander and was also President of PSO. I am currently using it full time as an environmental consultant for Western EcoSystems Technologies, Inc.
I know 2 of the educators in the program now and PSU could not have better, more caring people in those positions. Keely and Emily are top notch.
The Wildlife Technology Program at Penn State DuBois is highly regarded and was close to home. It is TOP NOTCH, and I recommend to anyone interested in a career in the outdoors, every chance I get. The faculty are absolutely incredible and passionate educators, and I can’t give them enough credit for making my time at Penn State DuBois such a beneficially challenging experience that shaped me into the professional I am today.
The hands-on labs, the outdoor opportunities we were able to participate in (for class, as well as outside of class), and the network of individuals in the field I was able to meet and keep connections with in my professional career were amazing.
I continued on to complete my Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science also.
My professional career has included serving as the General Manager for Wilds Sonshine Factory in Kane, PA, which is a Distillery/Event Venue/Gift Shop/Agricultural Education Center, all focused around PA Natural Recourses/Plants/Trees/ Wildlife and Agriculture. I have also been a Wildlife and Habitat Specialist for Greendale Farms in Kane, PA. It is a farming operation/ Wildlife Feed and Forage company that offers habitat consultation (wildlife management plans, forage plot installation, etc.).
I came to Penn State DuBois because it's the only Wildlife Technology program in the state and after receiving my Associate degree in Wildlife Technology, I continued to complete a Bachelor's in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences.
The professors I had went above and beyond to help educate and make sure the information was being understood for future field work. The lab sessions were very helpful and I loved the hands-on experience I received with my classes.
I am now a Wildlife biologist where I work in a military installation and my focus is butterflies.
I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors and wildlife and love Penn State. The wildlife visitation day prior to enrolling gave me a warm welcome and the people were great. All of the hands on learning we got to do as well as exciting volunteer opportunities such as owl banding, hawk trapping, working the Mosquito Creek Coyote hunt, etc., were excelelnt. I think this is a fantastic program that can lead to many exciting career opportunities.
After graduating, I continued on at University Park and got a Bachelor’s degree in Forest Ecosystem Management. This career path led me to an internship with the PA Game Commission during my time in school. That ultimately led to a full-time forest technician job after graduating. I am now a forester for the Game Commission and love that I get to manage forests for wildlife habitat.
The Wildlife Technology program at Penn State DuBois set me up for the career that I wanted. I use all of the practical skills that I learned throughout the program in my position. I also very much enjoyed all of the field trips as part of the classes.
After completing the Associate's in Wildlife Technology, I continued on to receive a Bachelor's in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. I currently work for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game as a Senior Wildlife Technician.
I felt well prepared for a career in wildlife after getting my PSU degree. My time at DuBois more than prepared me for the classes at University Park, and I use the skills and knowledge gained at DuBois every day. There are too many favorites to list, but the bonding experiences during the labs are at the top.
I work as a research associate for Wilkes University and manage an animal behavior and forest ecology research lab. We primarily study animal mediated seed dispersal and seed chemistry.
I also serve as the University’s Vivarium manager and coordinate our IACUC and all USDA protocols. In addition, I am the director of our Science In Motion program, supplying STEM support to local teachers.
