“SLCC has really helped launch me into this field. I am the only participant from a community college, which I thought would be intimidating, but I’m proud and happy to be there. This program is incredible, I’m learning so much, it’s an amazing experience.”
Heather Brown knows her future is connected to the environment, which is why she was thrilled to be accepted into the Louisiana Wildlife Federation's Edgar Veillon Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC). CLC is a program designed to provide direct training to emerging conservation leaders.
“I heard about this program from Dr. Jennifer Rasch, my instructor at SLCC,” explained Brown. “She wrote a letter of recommendation for me that helped get me into the Edgar Veillon Conservation Leadership Corps.”
“Heather was the first to trust me when I said she had the ability and knowledge to get in the program while still a student at SLCC,” said Dr. Rasch, Assistant Professor in STEM and Transportation. “I hope the skills she gains from this internship help her become a local leader when it comes to protecting and caring for our environment in southern Louisiana. I think we're going to see great things coming from her to improve the quality of our overall community for years to come.”
Brown, who is in the Louisiana Transfer program for Biological Sciences at SLCC, will be transferring to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to continue her studies in Environmental Science. Right now, she and 19 other participants are learning exactly what it means to be a conservationist. Participants in the program learn about environmental policy, community outreach, and hands-on conservation practices.
"I'm still working my way through classes right now, I don't know exactly where I'll land, but so far Environmental Quality is my biggest area of interest," said Brown. “That’s why getting into this program means so much, we get to learn a bit about everything to see where we can really make a difference.”
The goal of the Edgar Veillon Conservation Leadership Corps is to cultivate the next generation of conservation leaders in Louisiana and to ensure that the state's natural resources are protected for generations to come. Brown explains that during their first meeting, the CLC participants got to tour the Mississippi River Project and learn about the decades-long plans for Louisiana's coast. There’s potential for networking and building relationships that could last a lifetime. According to Brown, this year’s participants in the CLC program are a diverse group from varied backgrounds and majors, including biology, civil engineering, and art.
“I’m certainly building a network through this opportunity meeting people from Honduras, Japan, and Mexico; you get a lot of different input. It takes you out of your bubble and shows you a bigger world,” she explained.
The Edgar Veillon Conservation Leadership Corps also introduces participants to volunteer opportunities and encourages them to get involved in their careers and communities.
"A lot of us are going to community meetings, putting our ears to the ground, and seeing the difference we can make now. Some of my peers are also getting internships from this experience; they want to show us how to get involved in our careers but also how we can be involved in the conservation effort of today. Learning about the opportunities in our area right now has been inspirational. I want to get out there more than ever.”
The Edgar Veillon Conservation Leadership Corps program was established in 2018 in honor of the late Edgar Veillon, a dedicated conservation leader and longtime member of the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. To learn more about CLC, including how to participate, visit https://lawildlifefed.org/what-we-do/conservation-leadership-corps/. To learn more about the Louisiana Transfer program at SLCC, visit https://www.solacc.edu/academics/transfer/.