July 2024

July 2024
Miranda Maliszka

(BS, Environmental Resources & Geographic Information Systems, ‘21)

Q & A:

1. What was your favorite class, who was your favorite professor, or what is your fondest memory of Hofstra?
   I truly do not think that I have a “favorite” class. While earning my dual bachelor’s degree, I had the opportunity to work toward a minor in Food Studies. I really enjoyed the robust course load that allowed me to gain not just a better understanding of my degree, but also exposure to a wide variety of different topics. I took courses such as Geochemistry, Intro to Advanced GIS, Creative Writing, Food Studies, and an abundance of Philosophy courses.
2. In one word, how would you describe Hofstra?
   Hofstra is home, as cheesy as that sounds. Hofstra is a place where there is always someone to study with, grab coffee with, hang out with … there is always something going on and always something to do. I knew from the first moment that I stepped onto campus that Hofstra would become my home for the next four years. Hofstra creates community like no other. It was so easy for me to get involved and meet new people, and the opportunities that Hofstra presented me with were truly endless. The family culture established in the Geology, Environment & Sustainability (GES) Department is something that lasts a lifetime. From Friday’s four-hour lab sessions, to late nights on Zoom with classmates talking about soil, to just being together in the computer room are some of my favorite times. Sometimes, it can feel like you are this little fish in this big pond no matter what year you are, but on Hofstra’s campus, I never felt that way. You can easily walk to class and run into 10 people that you know, you can be standing in line for food and easily find someone to eat with. The feeling of home is priceless.
3. What was your first job after graduating Hofstra, and what was the most valuable thing you learned there?
   A month leading up to graduation – in just one afternoon – I was offered admission to a graduate program at the University of San Francisco and a job based out in Northern California. Looking back, I remember the excitement and joy that filled my heart, but the hesitation about what to do. Ultimately, I chose to accept the job in Northern California without the slightest idea that it would change the trajectory of my career path forever. I spent that summer working alongside two individuals on the Tahoe National Forest in the American River Ranger District, through the EPIC Program sponsored by the American Conservation Experience. That summer we worked to prepare and collect data as directed by the district forester for use in land management plans, timber appraisals, timber sales, and GIS mapping. I had the opportunity to use my GIS experience directly in the field to lay out, flag, and mark boundaries for 500+ acres of land that would later be used for timber sales, mastication, and hand pile burn units.
   
   During that time, I became well-versed in how to identify western tree species, specifically firs, spruces, and pines, and I had the opportunity to take the R5 Qualified Cruising Exam. This also presented me with the opportunity to work alongside the district silviculturist to complete standing tree exams that focused on regeneration of white and red firs, providing vital information that would later be used in the NEPA document(s). That summer presented me with abundant opportunities that allowed me to network and gain new knowledge and skills, as well as learn one of the most valuable lessons of my career. Remember how I mentioned I had the opportunity to take the R5 Qualified Cruising Exam? Well, out of everyone on the crew, I was the only one who didn’t pass. While defeated at first, I reminded myself that I didn’t go to school for forestry like the others did … but that wasn’t going to stop me from getting as much out of the experience that I possibly could. I learned that summer that if you want something, you fight for it. Fast-forward to today. At only 25 years old, I’m a full-time permanent Forest Service employee on one of the R9’s timber strike teams based out of the Allegheny National Forest, and by next year I will be a qualified cruiser. I will never let anyone tell me that I can’t do it, because I know I can, and I promise I will.
4. What is your field of specialty, and how did you come to work in the industry?
   I’m very lucky to be well-versed in many different aspects of my field. My experience ranges from fieldwork data collection to online sourced data collection, forestry (from my time working on the Tahoe National Forest in Northern California), to plant restoration and irrigation (from my time working with the Walker Basin Conservancy in Northern Nevada). My previous role was a lead running crew out of the Pacific West Branch of the American Conservation Experience (ACE) located in Sacramento, California. During that time, I led two extremely imperative ADA trail projects with California State Parks over the course of eight months. Those projects allowed me to gain experience in all aspects of trail work and ADA rock work. Additionally, I have six months of experience working with back country invasive species throughout the Klamath Network [a network of national parks in California]. A specific grant funds the removal of invasive species post-fire. When I share my background, most people ask me how I came to find myself working in this robust industry. I went to school for Environmental Science because you can pursue a career down so many different paths, and my background is a prime example of that.
5. What is a typical day like in your role?
   Nothing about my day-to-day life is the same, which makes every day an adventure, to say the least. In my current position as a forestry technician, during the travel season we work a Wednesday to Wednesday schedule, 10 hours a day, with six days off in between. We travel to different forests throughout the region to assist with projects that need to be completed. This ranges from laying out timber sales, to flagging boundaries, to marking timber. This year we will be traveling to the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan, the Green Mountains National Forest in Vermont, and the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia.
6. What is your favorite part of your job?
   This is a pretty rare statement that one can make in their life, and I am grateful that I am one of the people who get to say this. I’ve had the chance to work in almost every single national park in California, and I’ve had the chance to spend a month working in Crater Lake National Park. Throughout the past three years, I’ve traveled to beautiful places and that’s because of my field. I learned from COVID that a desk job isn’t for me and that I belong in the field until I can’t be anymore. During my time working for the Klamath Network, I got to work 5-8 miles into the back country on a daily basis, working in old burn scars (and those are the parts of the park that the public doesn’t get to see). I’ve eaten lunch on some of the prettiest cliffs out there, and moments like that have made me appreciate everything that I have ever been given in life. The memories, the sunsets, and the friendships that I have created over the course of three years are truly something else. I have a network of friendships throughout the country because of my field of work, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in a lifetime.
7. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where do you see your career progressing?
   The truth is, I don’t know – and that is OK. I learned that I don’t want to climb the corporate ladder. I want to accomplish goals as opposed to just easily moving up the ranks. However, I would like to obtain my Master’s in Forestry Science and ultimately work in post-fire science, whether that focuses on timber, soil, trail, invasive species, or GIS mapping. The more diverse I become in my background makes me a more well-versed candidate when it comes to moving through the Forest Service. I would like to spend some time dappling into research and using those skills to maybe one day even become a sale administrator (SA) with the Forest Service or even supervise a strike team. The opportunities are endless, and I really want to value the time while I’m younger to work in the field as much as possible. However, after spending so much time working with the American Conservation Experience, I would also like to one day get back into nonprofit work. I am grateful that I work in such a unique field where, again, those possibilities are endless.
8. What is the single most rewarding/exciting experience in your career thus far?
   I shaped someone’s entire future by just taking the time to give them advice, and there is no other moment of my career that will ever come close to this. In March 2023, I was leading a 12-person crew alongside the Monterey California State Park Trail Crew. It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was working with two other individuals to build a bridge in an area of trail that was previously destroyed by a January storm. All of a sudden, one of two individuals, Myles Taylor, said to me, “Miranda, can I ask you a question?” Little did I know that, at that moment, my answer was going to change his life. He originally had signed up to serve a three-month AmeriCorps term with the intention of going to work on the Smokey Mountains Trail Crew for the 2023 summer season. He explained to me that things might not work out with Smokey’s, and he wanted to know (in my honest opinion) if he would be a good leader. I said, “Myles. Don’t sell yourself short. You would make an amazing crew lead, and I knew that from the first day that we started working together. Give yourself opportunities and if you don’t get it, you don’t get it, and if you do, you have options.” We returned from the project that Wednesday, at which time I had a conversation with my project manager, and he brought up that Myles had applied for the crew lead position and that they had an interview set up for Friday. He told me that even before the interview, they were going to offer him the job. Myles soon accepted the job and led crews for nine months. I had the opportunity to lead with Myles for my final week with ACE last December. While we lead differently, I was overly impressed with the young leader that he was becoming. I was able to watch Myles go from an assistant team lead to a crew lead in just under a year. Now he is working the 2024 summer season on the Grand Canyon Trail Crew. If someone ever asks for your advice, take the time to talk to them, because you never know the impact you can make on someone.
9. What advice would you give Hofstra students?
   My advice to any Hofstra student is that if you want to do it all, you can and you should. The experiences that you have as an undergraduate student will be unlike any other. Join clubs, make connections, ask for help, and make mistakes. I was heavily involved in the Hofstra community, and that is why Hofstra became a home to me. I’m an alumna of Alpha Theta Beta Sorority and held multiple leadership positions. I spent my weekends with Habitat for Humanity and for three years sat on the executive board. I ran a committee session for Hofstra University’s Model United Nations Conference for two years and sat on the executive board for a year. I served on the Fraternity and Sorority Expansion Committee for two years and helped bring to campus Delta Phi Omega (DPO). By just saying yes, the opportunities are endless.