Kylie Harris spent a great part of her childhood outside with her family. Harris and her two siblings enjoyed summers and weekends at their grandparent’s house in Virginia Beach boating, crabbing, and fishing in Rudee Inlet.

“These childhood experiences instilled the sense that the waterways provide so much joy to myself and my family that at a young age I became greatly appreciative of the outdoors, waterways, and nutritious food they provide,” Harris said.

She became an environmental steward based on her belief that the land and water where individuals reside provide those with a service that should be protected.

In high school, Harris worked as a deckhand for fishing and ecotourism boats in Rudee Inlet. Harris first became aware of her future employer, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, during a shift when the officers visited the docks to check that marine visitors were following the set regulations.

Harris found their work so admirable, that “officers cared so much about a resource and our environment that they protect it every day.” While making her college decisions, Harris knew she wished to study in the environmental field. Propelled forward by her past experiences and passion for environmental protection, Harris chose to study wildlife conservation at Virginia Tech.

One of Harris’ favorite classes at Virginia Tech was Wildlife Field Techniques with Marcella Kelly. This class provided students with a perspective on what fieldwork could entail while conducting research. As an undergraduate student, Harris interned for two summers with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at the Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach.

In the summer of 2022, Harris first interned as an oyster restoration intern, helping the Virginia Oyster Team collect recycled oyster shells to use as homes for baby oysters. She helped raise the oysters from larvae to spat, which is when oyster larva attaches to its shell. After the process was complete, the Oyster Restoration Team would plant the spat on non-harvest sanctuary reefs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed to help improve habitat and water quality.

Harris was asked to return to work as an oyster gardening intern for the summer of 2023. With her new position, Harris worked to run the oyster gardening program that the Chesapeake Bay Foundation hosted every summer. In this program, volunteers in the Tidewater region would take the spat to their backyards or nearby waterways for a year to grow, and then the following year the oysters would be returned to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and planted on sanctuary reefs.

“These internships were incredible experiences with amazing mentors that taught me even more about environmental science and provided me a new underwater appreciation for the outdoors,” Harris said.

Internships are central to the university’s approach to undergraduate education. Providing more opportunities for paid internships and co-ops is one of the key goals of Virginia Tech Advantage, a universitywide initiative that includes support for career preparation.

In May, Harris graduated from Virginia Tech with her bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation. Eager to enter the field, she began searching for a job that would allow her to work outside in the field. Harris had previously attended the spring 2024 College of Natural Resources and Environment Career Fair and spoke with representatives of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

Shortly after the career fair, a posting for the job was listed online. Harris applied for the position, and the connection she created at the career fair significantly aided her during her application and interview process. Harris now works as an environmental engineer within the Habitat Management Division for the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.

In her position, Harris works two to three days a week in the field, performing site visits for proposed shoreline work. During these visits, she completes compliance checks on finished projects such as living shorelines, bulkheads, and piers. Harris enjoys “the balance of spending time in the field and in the office, completing work to serve the community and environment.”

Harris is currently working to complete her Master of Natural Resources at Virginia Tech. She recently returned from Austrailia, where she spent 10 days with other learners in Global Issues in Environmental Sustainability, a course that combines global citizenship and cultural awareness with environmental knowledge and policy in a specific foreign country. 

"The impact these experiences have on learners can be life changing as they reframe their own personal learning outcomes in the context of a much larger world," said Daniel Marcucci, professor of practice in the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability. "By drawing knowledge, connections, perspectives, and solutions from their field work, learners are able to become better professionals as well as understand their contributions to the global system."

In Australia, Marcucci said the group focused on the land-sea interactions that connect conservation in the rainforest, sugar cane farming, mineral resources, ocean health, and the Great Barrier Reef.

This learning experience has helped Harris see Virginia's coast and the people connected to its preservation with a new perspective.

"Overall, the global study in Austrialia helped widen my eye to global issues that I can directly impact, as well as draw parallels to in my personal and professional life," Harris said. "I realized that the shoreline changes that I review applications for have a wider impact than just the county or Virginia, which helps me find an appreciation for the work that we do at VMRC to facilitate no net loss of tidal wetlands in the Commonwealth."

Written by Anja Hemesath, a senior and a student writer for Virginia Tech Communications and Marketing

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