From a young age, Stevenson alumnus Peter Hoblitzell could be found digging around in the woods and streams near his house. Eventually, he began exploring local forests and national parks, discovering his love of the outdoors that has defined his life since.
Peter’s devotion to the environment led him to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Stevenson, combining his passion with his education and future career. He enhanced his academic experience by taking advantage of the university’sStudy Abroad opportunities. He traveled to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands to immerse himself in their natural habitats, swimming with sea turtles and witnessing blue-footed boobies participating in their mating dance.
“My study abroad trips were obviously wildly different in their own ways,” says Peter, “but similar in how rich the learning potential is when we find ourselves experiencing an entirely different culture and environment for the first time.”
For his senior capstone experience, Peter worked as a Naturalist at the Marshy Point Nature Center where he had the opportunity to put the concepts he learned throughout his school career to work. There he designed curriculum, created activities, and led environmental education programs for children.
Peter now works at Mahan Rykiel Associates as an Environmental Specialist where he is leading field visits, assessing site viability, processing field data, and determining species lists for planting. The impact? His work is supporting the re-forestation of land upstream of the Chesapeake Bay to mitigate the effects of storm water runoff and repair the watershed.
“Throughout my time at Stevenson, I was consistently inspired and impressed by my peers’ dedication to advocacy for betterment of themselves and their respective communities. My classmates showed me the kind of dedication it takes to create change from the ground up.”
