About Our Students

Lily Dancy-Jones

My major in environmental studies, with a concentration in ecology and evolutionary biology, has given me a wide range of opportunities at UNC Asheville and in the community.  I love the small classes, excellent professors, and field trips offered within the Environmental Studies Program.  Through my internship with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, I get hands-on experience exploring careers in environmental studies and am able to make connections with a broader scientific community.  I have been funded in Summer 2011 to perform an Undergraduate Research project with Dr. David Gillette studying fish communities and barriers to aquatic organism passage in the Nolichucky River Watershed of Western North Carolina.  The Environmental Studies Program at UNC Asheville offers many fascinating courses and a variety of opportunities for independent exploration, supplemented by the diverse ecosystems of the Southern Appalachian region and an extremely dedicated faculty, that have contributed greatly to developing my background for a career in environmental education.  After I graduate from UNC Asheville, I plan on teaching high school science in North Carolina before pursuing a master's degree.