Hi! My name is Susan Howell. I am a junior at the University of Vermont and I am working towards a degree in Forest Resource Management.

Originally, I am from New York City. People usually ask me how a girl from the city becomes interested in trees. Well, a few years ago I started traveling around the United States and realized that my favorite places to visit were the National Parks, especially Grand Teton in Wyoming. When I realized my love of the outdoors, I thought studying how to care for the land in a healthy way would be interesting and so far it has been great.

Since I have seen and practiced land management in the United States, I thought it would be interesting to see how it is done in a whole different ecosystem - a rainforest. The different objectives of land managers, different species of trees and animals, and different people and cultures will be stimulating, I’m sure.