Recent grads Jessie Lisanti and Daniel Magda take lessons, passions from Drew into the real world
November 2024 – Drew University alums Jessie Lisanti C’24 and Daniel Magda C’24 are currently serving as Americorps Watershed Ambassadors with the state of New Jersey.
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The program, run through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), pairs ambassadors in each of its 20 Watershed Management Areas with a local host agency. Magda is working with Raritan Headwaters, serving the North and South Branch of the Raritan River. Lisanti is working south of Trenton in the Assiscunk, Crosswicks, and Doctors Creek Watershed.
Both pointed to their time at Drew as pivotal in identifying career opportunities and excelling in them.
Lisanti, an environmental studies and sustainability major, referenced Drew’s community-based learning (CBL) courses and interdisciplinary curriculum which helped develop critical thinking skills and collaborative learning, and formed important connections.
“The close-knit community and challenging academic environment at Drew allowed me to grow into someone who is able to contribute meaningfully,” said Lisanti. “My classes allowed me to connect my academic learning with real-world action and inspired me to follow a career path which did the same.”
Magda, a biology and environmental science double major, noted courses like Advanced Environmental Science, Graphic Information Systems (GIS), and Advanced GIS prepared him for the mechanics of watersheds, while his Field Ecology class and time in the Drew Summer Science Institute (DSSI) taught him useful sampling techniques and project management skills. He also noted Drew’s small class sizes as a reason for success.
“I really felt like my professors got to know me as a person and were able to help me choose classes that geared my biology major toward the areas of the field most applicable to my goals after graduation. This individualized attention also allowed me to complete a second major in environmental science,” he said.
Click on the links to learn more about Drew’s environmental science (BS) and environmental studies and sustainability programs.
