Going Green

StMU alumnus Jack Nodwell bidding farewell to StMU after 8 years and heading to Ireland to pursue Masters in Science in Sustainable Resource Management

Jack Nodwell has been a member of the St. Mary’s University community for 8 years and has decided to jump into a new adventure to pursue his Masters in Science in Sustainable Resource Management: Policy and Practice at the University of Limerick & National University of Ireland Galway. This degree involves an interdisciplinary approach to environmental sciences with a focus on sustainability, and the program he chose in Ireland has a crossover with business and policy that Jack is particularly interested in.

For Jack, this program offers an opportunity to develop his passion for conservation and environmentalism into a career “part of the problem is a lack of understanding of the science and why the need for sustainability is a viable option. Working on developing well thought out changes that can make sense for companies is what I am hoping to do.”

The program offers a variety of field courses within and surrounding the university town, and Jack has grown to deeply appreciate hands-on experiences throughout his undergraduate degree in biology at St. Mary’s University. The opportunity to explore all areas of Biology through our science degree enables students to gather knowledge about how different systems work together and are important to each other:

“At StMU, you investigate environmentalism and when you see the loss of species and viable land… it hits you pretty hard. If I can bring my skill set to help that area, I’d be happy to do so. The professors were passionate about wild places in general and took us on numerous field studies, including guided hikes to inspire the wellness piece associated with our environment. It is a sad thought that people in the future would never experience this because we’ve used up all the resources and it simply won’t be here.”

Jack was raised to value the environment, and this allowed his internal motivations to blossom. He prioritizes his role as a global citizen and since working in career services for StMU, Jack has developed a method of introspection he provides for incoming students. A holistic analysis of desires, skills, and goals, as well as a good amount of seminars and professional development experiences offers students a foundation for deciding on a career path. Jack eventually used this model on himself and knew that it was time to move on from his time as a staff member at St. Mary’s University.

“The people are 100% what I will miss the most. They are absolutely in it for the students which is how it should be. Everyone is working hard to make things new and engaging for students as we are all so close and working together on our efforts.”

Working in financial aid has encouraged Jack to present companies with viable plans for sustainable practices. He has adopted a mindset around finances after working with so many students, understanding that money is integral to our lives. Jack will use this in the environmental discipline when looking at sustainability and business models because money cannot take over and be a reason not to adopt sustainable practices, but when presenting the data for these practices, financing and profit are still factors.

Taking an undergraduate degree at a liberal arts University has set Jack up for success in his interdisciplinary masters program. When talking about his biology degree, Jack brought up how his philosophy training will benefit his career:

“I wrote my ethics paper on forestry practices in different areas, and you see that some places are taking great steps towards sustainability, and some are not. You can make money both ways, but there are a variety of reasons that companies sacrifice everything wild or natural in their area to the detriment of the planet we live on.”

Not only has his degree helped him appreciate what is important to people and how people understand things, but he also practiced skills such as multimedia presentations, data management, and presenting data in digestible ways. Jack says “you can find the coolest thing in the world but if you can’t communicate it, nobody will ever know.”

Jack will be leaving the University on August 20th and shortly after that, he will be on a plane to Ireland. Coming out of a long period of isolation with the COVID-19 pandemic, Jack is feeling confident that his thirst for travel, meeting new people, gaining international perspectives, and working towards his passion will be satisfied with this incredible experience.