Kimberly B. Bryant ’99 chose Shenandoah because she wanted to study at a school in Virginia that offered environmental degrees with the possibility of internships, as well as research projects wherein part of the curriculum was outdoors. “Shenandoah is a great place for an environmental education – there are excellent professors and Winchester is a wonderful area to study environmental principles,” said Bryant.
Some of Bryant’s fondest memories of Shenandoah are hiking in Shenandoah National Park, camping during a geology field trip, doing environmental research and of course, all of her classes with former Professor of Environmental Studies & Biology Woodward Bousquet, Ph.D. In 1999, Bryant was awarded Environmental Studies Student of the Year and presented at the Virginia Academy of Science. After graduating from Shenandoah, she was accepted to the Vermont Law School and earned a Master of Studies degree in environmental law in 2000.
Bryant is a land development/environmental inspector for the City of Hampton, Virginia. Her responsibilities include performing field inspections to determine compliance with site plans and subdivision plan ordinances for the Chesapeake Bay Preservation District, Wetlands Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Ordinance. If there are any violations, she notifies the appropriate parties, gives them a written notice of the code violations, and a time frame to correct the violations. She also issues summons if the offense is not properly taken care of.
The most rewarding part of Bryant’s job is being able to educate people on the environment and environmental policies.
“Shenandoah was really the beginning of everything for me,” said Bryant. “I learned how to study, how to excel, how to lead. I learned about the environment, ecology, education, policy, how to tackle important issues and to share my understanding of those issues in a way that would connect with people who have varying interests.”
Bryant’s advice to students is: “To volunteer with different types of environmental employers to help figure out what type of environmental employment they’d like after college.”