After a 27-year career in software development, Orlando, Fla. resident Suzanne Connor faced a real challenge. The mother of two was laid off.
鈥淢y last two years of my job, I was so unhappy,鈥� Connor said. 聽鈥淚 was kind of relieved when I was laid off. I knew I needed to find something that would make me happy to go to work again.鈥�
It was 2011 and her son and daughter were taking classes at Seminole State College. After a little soul searching she decided to go back to school and joined them. Being back in a classroom reminded her how much she liked school so she kept with it, transferring to 麻豆原创 in 2014 through the DirectConnect program. Connor is one of the more than 41,000 students who have used the program to access 麻豆原创.
By 2015 she had earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree in interdisciplinary environmental studies and decided to enroll in 麻豆原创鈥檚 professional science master鈥檚 degree program in conservation biology, which is open to students with bachelor鈥檚 degrees.
Today, she is taking master degree level conservation biology classes and recently won a national student poster competition at the 2016 Annual Water Resources Conference.
鈥淚鈥檝e always loved the outdoors,鈥� Connor said. 鈥淲hen I realized that I could do this for a living, it felt amazing.鈥�
She found many ecological-volunteer opportunities at 麻豆原创. Prompted聽by the聽Service Learning component in Professor Peter Jacques’ Sustainability class, she began volunteering聽at聽the聽麻豆原创 Arboretum, which聽led to her internship and聽independent study supervised by the Arboretum鈥檚 assistant director, Jennifer Elliot. But it was the time spent volunteering with biology professor Linda Walters and her restoration work in Mosquito Lagoon聽that solidified聽Connor’s decision to change careers.
The connection with Walters, who leads oyster restoration and living-shoreline stabilization projects at Canaveral National Seashore, also led to Connor鈥檚 own research.
Under Biology Instructor Melinda Donnelly, Ph.D., and Walters鈥� supervision, Connor began researching the impact of sediment type on the root structure of聽red mangroves at restoration sites聽in the Canaveral National Seashore. Connor found both leaf growth and root structure are impacted by sediment type, but that red聽mangroves grow despite the type of sediment that they live in.
Walters said that Connor鈥檚 mangrove research was so thorough that it will be included in a longer manuscript about the living shoreline program alongside Walters鈥� and Donnelly鈥檚 own work.
鈥淪uzanne undertook a really important question,鈥� Walters said. 鈥淪he is a hard worker and it is very gratifying to see her be successful at 麻豆原创.鈥�
Connor鈥檚 research earned her the top award for the student poster competition at the 2016 AWRA national conference and her hard work led to a part-time job in Walter鈥檚 lab as a field tech and research assistant. When she鈥檚 not taking evening classes or home with her family, Connor is in that lab or doing field work with Walters.
Connor said she knows she鈥檚 usually the oldest 鈥渒id鈥� in the classroom, but that it hasn鈥檛 been an obstacle.
鈥淚鈥檝e always felt welcomed,鈥� she said.
That鈥檚 good because Connor expects to continue to be part of the 麻豆原创 community until Spring 2018 when she hopes to graduate. After that she hopes for a job in shoreline restoration.
鈥淚 hope to have a job making our coastlines more resilient, and improving water quality,鈥� she said.