Jason Deschamps '15

What was your favorite Knox experience?

I went on a field trip to the Shawnee National Forest with my Environmental Conflict and Resolution class—six of us on the road, learning about environmental conflicts that affect the region, hiking the forest's hills, sharing stories around camp food, and falling asleep by a stream while watching stars. I feel like I couldn't have done that at a big state school or any university in France.

Tell us about your internship.

I interned at the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation in West Africa with support from the Schwartzman Environmental Internship Fund and a Richter Scholarship. My early and extensive exposure to different environments, cultures, and people, especially in the forests of Central/West Africa and the Western Ghats (a UNESCO World Heritage site), began my fascination of natural environments and man's interactions with them. This is also one of the reasons why I like Knox's location. People often ask me what I was doing in the middle of a cornfield in the U.S., and I tell them that the location might not sound exotic, but the lessons I learned and the people I met remain fascinating.

What have you been up to since Knox?

After graduating, I interned at the United Nations Environmental Program in Paris. Eventually I'd like to join an organization like the UN and work with diplomacy, so that was the first step. We'll see what the future holds for me, but I feel like I'm already ahead of the game.