I grew up in a scientific culture. My roots are in rural Oregon with a biologist and geologist for parents and a curiosity about the natural world at my core. However, through college and my professional career, I have learned the importance of blending this ecological understanding of conservation with another vital aspect of nature preservation: the historical, economic, and cultural knowledge of a land and its people. My goal for graduate school is to study this intersection of ecology and culture at the heart of conservation and land rights issues, with a focus on engaging local resource users and indigenous communities. My visit to the Master of Environmental Management (MEM) program at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies introduced me to a faculty, student body, and program with a commitment to the fundamental belief that conservation and human culture cannot happen in separate silos. university I conducted research similar to that of many of your students, under the supervision of doctors. Daniel Boxberger and Grace Wang. For my senior honors t...