We’d like to introduce you to one of our Alumni Sustainability Champions: Kathryn Michelle Benavidez ’14! Since graduating from St. Edward’s in 2014, Michelle has followed her passion for wildlife ecology through a number of programs, presentations, and research. She is currently enrolled in the MS program in Wildlife Ecology at Texas State University where she received a graduate assistantship funded by the USDA. At Texas State, Michelle has been researching disease ecology, specifically focusing on a neglected zoonotic disease that affects human dwellings and development in Puerto Rico called Leptospirosis. This sort of research will eventually help people develop effective management plans to prevent disease transmission. She has given talks for the Texas Society of Mammalogists, the Texas Academy of Science, the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and the Southwestern Association of Naturalists. Not only did she speak for the Southwestern Association of Naturalists, Michelle has also been serving as a member of their student conservation committee since 2014. Back here in Austin during a summer 2014 internship with Save Our Springs Alliance, Michelle helped to educate Barton Springs visitors about the importance of Edward’s Aquifer, which feeds the city’s beloved swimming hole.
We treasure sharing the stories of our graduates who are making a difference in the lives of so many people and invite you too to send us your story. To submit a nomination, please email the Sustainability Coordinator with the nominee’s name, graduation year, and a few green accomplishments.