Cassandra Torstenson

Why did you choose to study at Western/Huxley?

Huxley College of the Environment had a strong reputation as having top notch Environmental Programs.  It also scored in the top 10 schools in the US for Environmental Programs, and among the top 10 schools, it was one of the smallest schools.

How did you become interested in your field of study?

I grew up on a family farm in Northern Illinois. As a child, I was always interested in the environment, the weather, and learning everything I could about how and why things in nature worked the way they did. When it was time to choose what I would go to college for, I volunteered with the USDA–NRCS office in Woodstock, Illinois, for a summer. While volunteering, I was able to work on a variety of conservation programs and discovered I LOVED working with my hands and the environment.

Favorite course at Huxley?

My favorite class at Huxley was Wetlands Ecology. This class offered a hands-on component that directly related to my everyday life and career choice. While attending Huxley, I was a Soil Conservationist Trainee with the USDA-NRCS in Lynden, WA and in Mount Vernon, WA. I was immediately able to apply the information I learned in wetlands ecology to my job with the NRCS. 

Memorable student experiences?

During my time at Huxley, I served as the President of Gamma Rho and the Geography Club. This was a really great experience where I made a lot of new friends and experienced a lot of new and fun activities. Oh, and Stewarts Coffee! I used to spend many late nights at Stewarts listening to open mic, poetry night, and random music as I sipped hot coffee and studied for exams. I miss that place!

How did your Huxley education help shape you as a person?

Huxley taught me how to be an independent thinker and not to be afraid to speak up and try new things. While at Huxley, I served as the internship coordinator for 2 years. As the internship coordinator, I learned a lot about what types of jobs were available for those with environmental degrees. I also began to learn how to communicate with businesses, industry, and other organizations as I called them asking if they would have any internships available for students.

My Sustainable Agriculture course  helped me transition 112 acres of my parents' 3,000-acre farm into a certified organic market garden and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) offering. What a FUN experience! I taught my father about alternative farming methods, he taught me about the woes of farming, and I was able to supply 20 families, a roadside farm stand, and a farmers market with fresh fruits and vegetables off of only 1 acre of land. I also supplied cattle and horses with certified organic hay from the remaining 111 acres.

Later, as the Deputy Director of Water Resources for McHenry County Government, I employed many of the independent thinking skills as well as the consensus building skills I learned at Huxley to build a county-wide Water Resources Program.

Greatest accomplishments since graduating from Western?

Professional

Since graduating from Western, my greatest professional accomplishment was serving as the Deputy Director of Water Resources for McHenry County Government in Illinois. In this position, I developed the first comprehensive Water Resources Action Plan in the State of Illinois designed to protect and preserve water resources for current and future generations. This is a significant accomplishment because the State of Illinois follows the Doctrine of Reasonable Use... which, in short, means that each individual municipality is free to determine their own water future: where they place wells, how many they place, how they develop their land, how they use their water, their future populations and more. The Water Resources Plan that I developed changed the face of water resources development by encouraging all the municipalities in McHenry County to work together for a collective water future. Today, many of those municipalities are now implementing water resources programs in their own communities and working towards a more sustainable water future. 

My second greatest accomplishment since graduating was serving as the Director of the Green Economy and Sustainable Water Center at the College of Lake County. In this position I worked with the National Science Consortium to develop and review a Water Resources Curriculum that will be disseminated to community colleges across the United States.

Personal

My greatest personal accomplishment was graduating with my Master’s Degree in Public Administration in 2012 and being inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha, The National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, in May 2012.

Other highlights: Marrying my best friend and becoming the mother to five beautiful children, four boys and one girl, ages 1, 2, 5, 6,  and 9.

Current employer/job title?

North Dakota Department of Transportation/Environmental Section Leader.

Advice for prospective Huxley College students?

Volunteer! Before I started college, I volunteered for a few different organizations to find out what I was really passionate about.  By volunteering, I was able to discover if I would actually enjoy the degree program I was choosing, or if a different career choice should be considered.

Advice for current or incoming Huxley College students?

I would again recommend volunteering!  Either through an internship or just simply volunteering for different organizations to find your passion in life.  For me, every day that I go to work is a treat, not a chore, and that is because I found a career path that I truly enjoy.  I would recommend every student to do the same.  Try out a few different types of jobs until you find the one you like the best.  Then every day you go to class you will be working towards a goal.  By having an end goal in mind, every class you take has more meaning and purpose and you can see how it applies.

Favorite thing(s) to do when you’re in Bellingham?

Go to Boundary Bay Brewery, Walk at Boulevard Park, Drive Chuckanut Drive at Sunset, Kayak in the Bellingham Bay or at Lake Whatcom, Ski at Mount Baker, eat fresh seafood, or go for a hike on any trail along Chuckanut Drive or the Mount Baker Highway.