Hi, my name is Alexis Sell and I am part of the Oakland Township Parks Natural Areas Stewardship team for the summer of 2024. I am currently a student at Michigan State University where I am studying Forestry as well as Fisheries and Wildlife. I plan to graduate in the spring of 2025.

I originally wanted to get my doctorate to be a veterinarian since I grew up raising and taking care of animals. However, right before entering college I learned that taking care of animals was more of a hobby and not something I wanted to do as a career. This led to the quick decision of choosing my two majors. I chose my majors because of my interest and love for being outside. I also wanted to know more about the different ecosystems that I grew up loving.

I grew up in Ohio playing in the woods with my cousin and brother, where we were always finding interesting plants, animals and animal tracks. If we weren’t outside, we were finding ways to volunteer. Our volunteering took form in two main ways, cleaning up our natural areas and helping people. My cousin and I spent a fair amount of time volunteering to walk through parks and help clean them up. Personally, I found this enjoyable and relaxing. I got to see so many wonderful things during these volunteer activities that I always wanted to be outside. I also volunteered to help the people within my community by distributing food and providing education.

Due to my interest in being outside, I fell in love with my majors, and I have found a fondness for land management through engaging with my classes. One of these classes, silviculture, really sparked my interest in land management and I have found a way to tie my other classes back into land management. Other classes that I have taken throughout my time at Michigan State University have kept my interest in land management as well as being outside to look for those new things. I am certain that being a land steward this summer will further my interest in land management as well as my general curiosity for nature.

I am excited to work with everyone on the team and to work with the volunteers. I am also excited to learn more about land management and put the knowledge I have gained throughout my time at Michigan State into use. So far into this summer, I have enjoyed the bird walks and learning the different birds, as well as plants and insects, from our volunteers as well as getting to work with everyone!