My name is Noel Kemmerer and I am a senior at the University of Vermont. I grew up in Morristown, New Jersey where most of the natural environment has been fragmented, polluted, and destroyed by urban and suburban development. I am fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to visit many unique places such as the Turks and Caicos Islands, Switzerland, Lake Tahoe, CA and Jackson Hole, WY. I value the ecological diversity of these places and have decided to dedicate my life to protect the natural environment. I believe that education is the most effective way for me to accomplish this goal so I am majoring in environmental education.

I chose this program because I believe that the rainforests, rich with diversity, need to be protected and restored. I would like to learn about and make a personal contribution to the Australian rainforest so that it will be there in the future. This experience will enhance my own awareness of these unique places as well as help others understand the need to protect them.