PEOPLE - Alumni Stories
Conversation with Gabby Davis, CEP 2021
Nov 16, 2021
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Gabby's Rowan University Experience
My Rowan experience played such an important role in shaping both the young professional and individual whom I identify with today. All I knew when I transferred into Rowan University in 2018, my sophomore year of college, was that I wanted to help save the environment and didn’t know how to pursue that goal. Rowan provided me with a wealth of opportunities for me to take advantage of, whether it be professional development, a strong network of peers in my major, on-campus clubs or organizations, and educational enrichment opportunities. I really enjoyed going to class every day as the subsistence of what I was learning in the department of geography, planning, and sustainability, and the pedagogy it was taught through enticed me and always left me wanting to learn more. It was exciting knowing that what I was learning could assist me to shape the physical and built environment that surrounded me. I was able to turn my vague interest of wanting to help the environment into two degrees, a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies, and a BS in Community and Environmental Planning, and a certificate of undergraduate studies in Food Systems Planning. Rowan was a place I was happy to be at for three years of my educational experience.
Working in the Community Planning + Visualization Lab
I began working with the Community Planning and Visualization Lab the Summer of 2020. Working here undoubtedly helped shape my future work goals. I was able to develop both hard skills and soft skills to transpose on my resume such as research, grant writing, public outreach, presentation skills, interpersonal communication and more through the projects I worked on with the lab. What was most fun about working in the lab was the scope of research tracks that ranged through many topics, so I was able to learn and understand plentiful amounts of new ideas and information. After graduating I was able to earn the role of a Building Clean Program Associate with the BlueGreen Alliance Foundation, where everyday I apply experiences gained from the Community Planning and Visualization lab.
The Future
My future withholds many dreams and goals, the most near being to pass the LEED examination and become LEED certified to assist in the construction and retrofitting of healthier and sustainable homes and buildings. Also, in the near future I plan to begin volunteering with nonprofits who aid in fighting food insecurity and creating foodscapes. Food systems planning was a field I learned about at Rowan and hope to eventually break into professionally through one facet or another. Further in the future I am planning to attend graduate school and achieve AICP certification to obtain the professional career of a planner. When I am old and withered down from life, I ultimately dream of opening my own food co-operative to assist in a sustainable local food system while potentially being a college professor to educate future young professionals about the environment and interconnectedness of the world’s phenomena.
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Interests/Hobbies
I am interested in sustainable fashion and beauty products and discovering what I can purchase or create to essentially reduce the large global impact the fashion and beauty industry has on the planet. I also love visiting new cities across the country and trying new food and drinks with friends and family. Additionally, I love going on hikes and kayaking to reconnect with nature and hope to one day visit every national park. So far I’ve crossed off Acadia, and the Great Smoky Mountains!