In 2016, undergraduates in the Conservation Biology & Ecology major at ASU realized there was a problem. As the largest university in the nation, we were surrounded by young people like us who were thinking deeply about our environment and conservation of Earth’s biodiversity for our shared future. We wanted to become the next generation of conservation scientists, natural resource managers, educators, and environmental activists, but at every step of our college experience we came across inadvertent barriers that seemed to cloud our path forward.
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As incoming students, we saw clear and lucrative career pathways for pre-medical, pre-law, and business majors that enticed us. Our parents saw those pathways too, which led many of us to reconsider if we belonged in an environmental degree – especially those of us who are the first in our families to go to college or underrepresented in natural resource fields.

Although we were passionate about studying and protect the environment, we felt lost. We did not understand the wide range of majors and careers that could help us pursue our passion for the natural world. We did not know how to find and learn from each other. We felt isolated in an academic structure where environmental degree programs are split into distinct schools, colleges, and campuses. Ultimately, upon graduating, we worried that we were under qualified and under competitive for jobs in environmental fields that required proven leadership and communication skills in addition to technical and scientific knowledge about ecology, biodiversity, and conservation science.

We created Nature at ASU to address these challenges. As undergraduates, we are building an inclusive, networked community of scholars who are united in our interests in studying, protecting, and restoring nature for our shared future.
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We designed a compass as our logo to represent our ultimate mission to help students find their way towards a rewarding future in environmental or conservation careers. To get there, we are recruiting students into environmentally focused majors at ASU, supporting an inclusive community across academic units and campuses, and preparing students with communication and critical thinking skills to be effective scientists, practitioners, and leaders.

We are thankful for event funding from the ASU Student Government and Center for Biodiversity Outcomes.