SEU BIOLOGY STUDENT JOINS THE WILD BASIN TEAM
Emily Soderquist is the latest addition to the collection of dedicated preservationists at Wild Basin. For the next couple of months she will be contributing to the blog, sharing the Wild Basin experience through her eyes, and we want you to get to know the woman behind the stories.
Born and raised just south of Austin in the beautiful city of San Marcos, Emily has long enjoyed the nature of the Texas hill country. She spent a majority of her childhood swimming, kayaking, fishing, and exploring in the San Marcos River - the place where her love and concern for wildlife and the environment truly began.
Throughout her upbringing and into her adult life, Emily has strived to act as an advocate for nature through volunteer projects, community events, and extracurricular activities. Now, as a sophomore at Saint Edward's University, Emily is preparing herself for a career in nature conservation and environmental protection.
Emily attends Saint Edward's, majoring in Biology and minoring in Writing & Rhetoric. Her goal is to obtain a Bachelor's of Science in Biology from Saint Edward's, and ultimately to receive her PhD, specializing in ornithology or herpetology. She is a new student this spring, having transferred from Austin Community College, and the opportunity to work at Wild Basin this first semester as a Hilltopper could not be better suited for her. She hopes that her involvement at Wild Basin will help her learn more about wildlife management and research in preparation for the next steps in her career path.
Emily is a proud bird-nerd, sharing the preserve's excitement for the return of the Golden-Cheeked Warbler this season; however, her favorite bird is the Peregrine Falcon. Apart from birds, Emily love herptiles of all kinds, especially the San Marcos Blind Salamander, a native to Aquarena Springs at the headwaters of the San Marcos River in her hometown.
If you come to the preserve on weekends, you may catch Emily conducting trail patrol, photographing, and collecting fun things to share on the blog and the Research Center bulletin board. Be on the lookout for what she will share with us this spring!