What can make research exciting? To Felice Yarbough, it is “the continuous historical context that’s emerging as particularly important.” Felice Yarbough (she/her), a first-year wildlife science major, is exploring BIPOC perspectives to foster inclusivity and diversity in her field.
As a graduate research assistant in the Human Dimensions Lab at OSU, Felice is focused on BIPOC voices and perspectives within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Legacy Region 1. This region is composed of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. “These are all places I’ve got limited knowledge of the history and people so it’s exciting to learn more and anticipate what narratives of BIPOC professionals working in those places emerge.”
Outside of her GRA work, Felice had the opportunity to attend and present at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology (NACCB) Conference in Vancouver, Canada this year. Knowing the workload and rigors of grad school, Felice has been preparing for the academic journey ahead. “This is my first time during graduate research, so it’s been lots of learning. I’ve been immersing myself and various mediums; scholarly articles, books, recorded interviews, documentaries all to inform and guide my process. It’s hard work!”