The entire Rubenstein School community is so proud of the Class of 2024. Over 150 seniors will earn their diplomas on Sunday May 19th, and while the journey hasn't been easy (this class started their first year in the fall of 2020, after all), these students have made the most of their experience in and out of the classroom. Learn a bit more about five members of the Class of 2024 as we prepare to celebrate them all.

Parker standing in a canyon with hiking poles.

Parker Kimberly (he/him)

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Studies: Forestry major with a GIS minor
Post-grad plans: Parker plans to begin hiking the Appalachian Trail in June and then work as a wildland firefighter.
Favorite RSENR class: It's an even tie between Dendrology with Dr. Dimov and Silviculture with Dr. D'Amato.
Favorite UVM memory: The Lemony Springs mixed frisbee tournament during Parker's senior year.
Special thanks: Parker would like to thank Tony D'Amato, Luben Dimov, Bill Keeton, and Jess Wikle for teaching him how to be a responsible forest steward.
Advice for current and prospective RSENR students: Take more forestry classes and get out into the woods!

Val balancing a piece of burned tree on his head with smoky mountains in the background.

Val Kostelnik (he/him)

Hometown: Bolinas, CA
Studies: Natural Resource Ecology major with minors in History and Forestry
Post-grad plans: Val will be returning home to California for work, and plans on earning a graduate degree in fire ecology.
Favorite RSENR class: Silviculture
Favorite UVM memory: Debating sustainable tourism in Yosemite with the UVM Debate Team, which challenged him to try balancing easy access to nature with sustainability.
Special thanks: Val would like to thank Deborah Neher for her expertise and help with his research, and his advior Clare Ginger for putting up with his hyperactive energy.
Advice for current and prospective RSENR students: Find something you're curious about, latch onto it, and see where it takes you! College is what you make of is, so make it something you're excited about!

Soham looking at a small frog that is sitting on the lens of his camera.

Soham Mehta (he/him)

Hometown: Mumbai, India
Studies: Wildlife and Fisheries Biology major with a Zoology minor
Post-grad plans: Soham will begin working on a masters in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology at Columbia University in New York City.
Favorite RSENR class: Soham's favorites were Wildlife Disease Ecology, Field Herpetology, and labs in Fisheries Biology & Techniques!
Favorite UVM memory: One of Soham's favorite memories at UVM was being with all his friends on North Beach during the first weeks of fall!
Special thanks: Soham wants to thank his academic and honors thesis advisor Jed Murdoch, his professors and mentors Mariano Rodriguez-Cabal, Brittany Mosher, Emma Swift, and Rubenstein's IDEA Committee!
Advice for current and prospective RSENR students: Don't limit yourself with academics as an undergrad! Participate in leadership opportunities, make connections, and explore!

Sara standing with her hands on her hips in front of a lake with mountains in the background.

Sara Sexton (she/her)

Hometown: Verona, NJ
Studies: Parks, Recreation & Tourism major
Internship/work experience: Sara had an internship at the Essex Resort and Spa during her junior year, which became a part-time position. She's worked there for the last two years!
Post-grad plans: This summer, Sara will work as a Visitor Service Assistant at Ringwood State Park in New Jersey to gain more experience in the public sector. Afterwards, she hopes to continue down the hospitality route at a resort or hotel in a cool new place!
Favorite RSENR class: Sara's favorite class was Resort Management & Marketing. She loved designing her own resort and learning about the inner workings of the industry.
Favorite UVM memory: Her time on the club tennis team!

Emma in her scuba gear standing on a boat.

Emma Wetsel (she/her)

Hometown: Portland, OR
Studies: Environmental Sciences major with a self design concentration in Marine Biology, minor in Biology
Post-grad plans: Emma is taking a year to apply to grad school, drive cross-country and visit national parks, travel, work, and hike the Pacific Crest Trail starting in April!
Favorite RSENR class: Emma's favorite class was NR 001/002. The weekly labs gave her something to look forward to and an excuse to get outside. Her favorite lab was the winter animal tracking lab, where she spent around 45 minutes following bobcat tracks with her classmates. It was amazing to be able to piece together different movements and behaviors of an animal moving through an environment. This was also one of the only classes Emma got to attend in person in Ira Allen Chapel, which gave her the opportunity to go to class and have some sense of normalcy during her first year.
Favorite UVM memory: Emma's favorite memory isn’t one memory, but instead the many she made through the UVM competitive climbing team over the years she's been a member and coach. This team is where she found her closest friends, fostered her love for the sport, and gotten the opportunity to explore the outdoor climbing areas in Vermont.
Special thanks: Emma would like to thank Jennifer Pontius for her continued support as an advisor and professor, Brendan Fisher for walking her through the thesis process from start to finish, Daniel Erickson for his encouragement in the GIS field, and the spatial analysis lab for giving Emma such a positive work environment the last semester of college.
Advice for current and prospective RSENR students: There are ways to pursue your interests even if they aren’t reflected in the typical Rubenstein education. Marine biology wasn't the easiest to study at UVM, but Rubenstein helped Emma pursue opportunities to make her concentration possible. Advisors and faculty are there to support you and help you in any way they can, whether its by talking ideas through, working with you to make study abroad experiences happen, or helping you find funding for research and internships.