Jacob Winn ’21: A Commitment to Environmental Education

Jacob Winn ’21, is currently putting his B.S. in environmental studies to work as a senior program support assistant for New Hampshire Sea Grant. The University of New Hampshire program, a branch of the National Sea Grant College Program, is dedicated to fostering the sustainable development of U.S. coastal resources.

This is a new position for Jacob, who started working for the organization in September 2023. With his background in environmental studies, he understands the importance of the work done by Sea Grant institutions like UNH, and he is looking forward to being part of an effort to mitigate the unprecedented stresses experienced by coastal and marine resources. He points to concerns like coastal development and population growth, rising sea levels and flood risk and changes to commercial fishing as only some of the issues currently facing the New Hampshire coast.

In his new role with New Hampshire Sea Grant, Jacob will be working primarily with the Marine Docent Program, a volunteer-based effort that offers educational programming and provides a link between the university's research community and the public. As a native of Manchester, New Hampshire, Jacob looks forward to bringing marine-based education to the local community.

“Docents teach marine science to students in schools and camps, adults in community groups and organizations and at public events in a variety of settings,” Jacob said. “The prospect of working more closely with volunteers in this role excites me.”

Community connection is not new to Jacob. At Colby-Sawyer, he was involved as a student ambassador, Student Government Association senator and member of the ReChargers sustainability effort. He completed his internship with the New London Energy Committee.

“I consider myself lucky to have had an opportunity to address important environmental issues at the local level before graduation,” Jacob said.

His involvement in the local community continued after graduation when he accepted a position as a program support assistant for the UNH Extension Education Center in Goffstown, New Hampshire. There, he supported programs like the Pesticide Safety Education Program, the New Hampshire Master Gardener Program and the UNH Extension Infoline.

“What I've enjoyed most about the work I've been doing is helping residents of New Hampshire navigate a variety of issues, ranging from how to obtain and maintain a pesticide applicator license to establishing pollinator habitats in their yards,” Jacob said. “I'm excited to continue building a rapport with residents in this new role in a more public-facing capacity.”

In addition to his professional work post-graduation, Jacob has also used his time to finish hiking all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000 footers. From here, he will undoubtedly continue to climb high.

“As I progress in my career, I look forward to more opportunities to partake in community-building and community education in regard to environmental issues,” Jacob said. “UNH Extension and New Hampshire Sea Grant are both natural fits for my career goals.”

The outcomes reports from the Harrington Center for Experiential Learning indicate that, like Jacob, 99% of the Class of 2021 and 100% of the Class of 2022 were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. Read more about Colby-Sawyer graduate outcomes.