Her goal? To improve environmental literacy in students pre-K through Grade 12.
Sisson, 29, graduated from Pitt State last December with a degree in Biology and an emphasis in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.
This fall, she began serving Nature Reach — part of the Biology Department that uses live animals to provide programming on campus and in schools and parks. It has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, leaving Director Delia Lister in need of people power.
Sisson presents to Scout troops, students, and adults; oversees animal care including training the program’s captive birds of prey; and assists with special projects.
“I’m passionate about educating children about nature, to make sure to help them appreciate and respect wildlife but not be scared of it,” she said. “I want them to know the difference between facts and myths, and to understand why conservation is important.”
It was not what she started college in 2012 with dreams of doing.
After trying Psychology and then Business as majors and stopping out for semesters — and sometimes a year or two — at a time, she saw a social media post about Nature Reach.
“I’ve always loved animals, especially wild ones native to this area, but was discouraged by others from making that my career path,” she said. “I looked into it, and I knew immediately that was what I wanted to do. I knew this was my future, and I became fully committed to school.”
She enrolled as a Biology student and whenever possible, gained experience by working as a student employee in Nature Reach.
Sisson still had to take occasional breaks — she is the mother of two young children.
“Through it all, I talked with the Nature Reach director regularly and I had understanding professors,” she said.
She was the perfect candidate for the new AmeriCorps position.
“She knew the program quite well and was ready to go from Day 1,” Lister said. “She already has made a huge difference.”
Sisson is passionate about bringing together student organizations at Pitt State, including the Wildlife & Fisheries Society, the Wildlife Club, and the Sustainability Club, to reduce the amount of light in the night sky on campus. The goal: to help reduce the deaths of migratory birds who fly into buildings when they become disoriented.
“I was inspired by a recent speaker at the Audubon Club meeting, who did this at Johnson County Community College,” she said. “We can start small, and then hopefully we can expand to make a difference throughout the community.”
“That’s what this job is all about — making a difference.”
About AmeriCorps Kansas:
Learn more about Pitt State's Nature Reach program.
Learn more about majoring in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation at Pitt State.