It was the hands-on classes that drew Alejandra Rauch into the world of forestry.
Starting her college career at Spokane Community College, Rauch participated in a technical program for natural resources and found her passion for forestry.
Spending on average four to five hours a week in the experimental forest on the University of Idaho campus, Rauch said it”s the challenge of forestry that is her favorite.
“It”s not just challenging physically,” Rauch said. “But it”s also mentally challenging. There”s a lot you have to think about.”
Rauch transferred to UI in order to take the upper level forestry classes for her major in Forest Resources. This is only her second semester on this campus, but she has already found her favorite spot to hang out – the College of Natural Resources building with its big tree in the middle of the building.
The move from Spokane to Moscow was relatively easy, Rauch said, considering the two cities are fairly close to one another. Rauch wanted to attend a campus that was pretty close to her hometown and still offered the upper level forestry classes she needed.
While Moscow is mostly field, Rauch said one doesn”t have to drive too far in order to find themselves some woods, which is not much different from her home.
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Senior Alejandra Rauch talks about her experience moving from Spokane to UI in an interview, Friday at College of Natural Resources.
“I”m very independent,” Rauch said.
From Spokane, Rauch”s single mother raised her and her two siblings.
Raising three kids alone could be difficult, Rauch said, especially since she said she wasn”t always the best-behaved child. But regardless, Rauch said it was her mother”s strength that inspired Rauch.
“My mom would be my biggest role model,” said Rauch.
While Rauch had a smooth transfer to UI and has excelled in her classes, it hasn”t always been easy, especially in terms of finding a job in the field. Initially getting a job without experience outside of school was challenging, said Rauch.
“I don”t know how many letters I got saying I didn”t get the job,” Rauch said. “That was the most disheartening thing.”
Rauch pushed on and ended up getting to work for a consulting agency out of Moscow, which allowed her to gain experience with timber marking for private landowners and the forest service.
The experience helped her get to work for the Idaho Department of Lands last summer, which was her favorite experience, she said. Rauch got a first-hand account of what it is like to manage land, grow trees and produce timber. She was able to oversee her own timber sale, which included her writing up her own contract and performing all the administration of the sale.
“I hope once I graduate to be a forester for the state of Idaho,” Rauch said.
Even when Rauch is out of class, she certainly does not stray far from nature. In her free time, Rauch enjoys hiking, camping and floating the river. Rauch said she is the cliche outdoors type, so having a career in forestry comes natural for her.
Rauch can also be found actively participating in the Student Society of American Foresters Club, which holds fundraisers to pay for trips as well as talks to people in the field about the work they are doing.
Rauch intends to graduate in May and plans to quickly begin her career as a forester.
Marisa Casella can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @marisacasella1