Opportunity can sometimes be found in unlikely places, according the Christina “Chrissy” Westerberg who is a MFR student scheduled to graduate in December 2006 from the Warnell School’s Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism program. Chrissy has wanted to be a park ranger for most of her life, and she imagined a long career with the USDA Forest Service or the National Park Service. So, it is somewhat of a surprise, as she prepares to complete her graduate degree, she has found herself working as a Chief Ranger of Recreation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The Corps has been a great experience all around,” she confesses.

Chrissy’s relationship with the Corps began several years ago before she completed her B.S.Ed degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies in 2001. “I actually did a co-op with the Corps at Lake Hartwell during my undergraduate program,” she explained. “Then I received an offer for a full-time position as a park ranger outside Augusta on Lake Strom Thurmond after I graduated.”

Chrissy also took her GRE test in 2001, and by 2004 she figured she better enter a graduate program before her scores lapsed after the five-year eligibility expiration. She spoke with her supervisors at the Corps, and they agreed to allow her to take Tuesdays and Thursdays as her days off work so she could attend classes in Athens.

“I really liked my job and did not want to quit” for graduate school, she said.

And while Chrissy learned foundations in leisure and recreation from her undergraduate program, it was not until she began her graduate studies at the Warnell School that she began to better understand the science and management requirements needed to be truly effective at her job. She was also offered, and accepted, a promotion to Chief Ranger while enrolled in graduate school.

“It (being enrolled as a graduate student) could have possibly influenced their decision” to offer her the promotion, she humbly admits.

And now that she is about to receive her graduate degree, Chrissy is not only proud of her achievement, she also recognizes the advantage she now has on the job market. “I do not plan on leaving my position with the Corps anytime soon,” she says. “But, a graduate degree certainly gives me a competitive edge that I wanted to make sure I had.”

Chrissy truly loves her job and the environment she gets to work in everyday. “I get to go to work and deal with people who are on vacation,” she explains. “These people are there to relax and have fun and you want to make sure they are enjoying their time.”

While recreation and ranger jobs have traditionally been associated with well-known institutions such as the USDA Forest Service and the National Park Service, students need to remember not to limit their options. Opportunity can sometimes be found in unlikely places.

***Chrissy Westerberg is presently accepting applications for student summer employment/internships as a Park Ranger for the US Army Corps of Engineers. If you are interested, contact her at 1-800-533-3478, ext. 1121. Application deadline is Dec. 31st, 2006 for a summer 2007 position.