Stephanie Schmidt, Ph.D., teaches the introductory environmental science lectures and labs at George Mason University. While she has always enjoyed being in an academic setting, she did not initially study environmental science—she even remembers joking with friends about the mere existence of the Fish and Wildlife major at her undergraduate college, Michigan State. Thanks to various classes and experiences, however—including a study abroad in Australia focused on water, agriculture, and sustainability—she decided to major in environmental science, adding on to her initial math and chemistry majors. After graduation, she participated in a one-year AmeriCorps program in Dubuque, IA, as well as a policy stint in Washington, D.C.; these experiences made it painfully clear that she needed science to be an integral part of her day-to-day work. She thus came to George Mason University to pursue her Ph.D., studying wetland ecology under Dr. Changwoo Ahn. Since graduating in 2022, she has remained at GMU as an instructor, where she is grateful for the opportunity to enlighten, and hopefully inspire, hundreds of students in environmental science.