In Profile: Mejia matches love of wildlife with environmental conservation
Growing up, Masi Mejia was always fascinated by the hunting stories her great-grandfather told. When she joined the Texas Youth Hunting Program and was able to go on her very first hunt on the King Ranch, her guide took the time to explain all the different anatomical parts of her first buck.
Soon, Mejia's love for the science of wildlife grew and she spent every summer with the Texas Brigades, an organization teaching high school students to become ambassadors for conservation. Now, Mejia has extended her interest in conservation to college.
The Laredo native is a junior at Texas Tech majoring in environmental conservation of natural resources. She said many of her mentors in the wildlife field were Texas Tech graduates, so it only seemed logical to follow in their footsteps.
"I chose environmental conservation of natural resources because I really didn't see myself as a ranch manager," Mejia said, "but I knew I still wanted to have a job in the wildlife field."
Recently, Mejia was awarded a scholarship from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. She built a relationship with Texas Parks and Wildlife when she served as an intern last summer on the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area. The area encompasses 15,200 acres of South Texas brush country in La Salle and Dimmit Counties approximately 100 miles southwest of San Antonio.
"It really means a lot to me to receive this award because of the friends I've made who work with Texas Park and Wildlife," Mejia said. "I hope that one day I will be able to work with them as a colleague and not an intern."
Mejia is currently serving as president of Texas Tech's Society for Conservation Biology, and serves as a group's representative for Collegiate 4-H. One day, she hopes to serve as U.S. Secretary of the Interior.
Written by Kelsey Fletcher
CONTACT: Mark Wallace, Chairman, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2841, mark.wallace@ttu.edu
1102NM11 / Photo: N Martin
Davis College NewsCenter
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