SJU Graduate Student to Join the Peace Corps

Lena Hunt '16, an SJU graduate student from Oneonta, New York, has spent her time studying how different environmental factors affect growth in the same species of a tree. Now, she’s taking what she’s learned to the Peace Corps.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in biology at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, Hunt arrived at SJU to pursue her master’s in biology.

Hunt graduated high school in three years and received her degree in floral design to work as a florist in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.

“I’ve always been naturally curious, but being around flowers solidified my desire to major in biology,” says Hunt.

Through her research, rooted in agroforestry, Hunt has partnered with Clint Springer, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, to uncover the extremes within the same species of pitch pine trees along the East Coast. Hunt analyzed sample trees from five field sites and compared soil and environmental types, rain conditions and vascular anatomy.

“Lena is a fantastic student who has forged her own path discovery for research with questions that are novel to my lab,” says Springer. “I am very excited to see her put these critical thinking skills that our Master’s program in Biology has fostered in her to work during her next adventure with the Peace Corps.”

Upon completing her master’s degree, Hunt will begin her service with the Peace Corps in Sengal, Africa for 27 months, starting in September. During the first three months, Hunt will go through a training program in which she will learn a variety of agroforestry techniques that she may use depending upon her placement.

Joining the Peace Corps has been on Hunt’s “bucket list” for the majority of her life. Her first job was in a butterfly conservatory and run by a returned Peace Corps volunteer who had worked to save forests in South America.

While pursuing her master’s degree at SJU, Hunt has been one of three fellows in the GeoKids LINKS (Learning Integrating Nature, Kids and Science) program, a collaboration among Saint Joseph’s University, the Wagner Free Institute of Science and the School District of Philadelphia. GeoKids fellows must be accepted to both the program and SJU in order to receive free tuition and a stipend to live on while studying and teaching.

Major funding for GeoKids LINKS is provided by the National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

As part of the GeoKids partnership with Philadelphia schools, fellows are required to teach elementary-age children at one of the partner schools to implement a hands-on science curriculum. Hunt teaches science class for students in first through fifth grade at General Philip Kearny School and Robert Morris School.

“I really love teaching,” says Hunt. “I did not expect to like it because children used to make me nervous, but it has been awesome and I would love to continue to teach.”