It's never too late to find your passion, according to PBSC Environmental Science Technology student

During her twenties, Michelle Redfern struggled to find the right career. She tried numerous desk jobs and even trained as an emergency medical technician but never found any fulfillment. “I felt like I was on a hamster wheel, just working to pay my bills and survive,” said Redfern. “The only thing that gave me solace was being outdoors.”

Determined to find a career where she could combine her love of the outdoors with her interest in conservation and the environment, Redfern discovered the Environmental Science Technology program at Palm Beach State College and a new enthusiasm for education. “The program has changed me; I’m not into consumerism anymore,” said the now 35-year-old Redfern, who enrolled in PBSC two years ago. “Now I want to be outside, learning and exploring. It’s fueled my passion.”

Students in the Environmental Science Technology program can choose from an Associate in Science (AS) degree or shorter 14 or 30 credit hour college credit certificate programs to become a hazardous materials specialist or an environmental science technician, respectively.  Courses prepare students for positions in environmental assessment, ecological restoration, eco-tourism, and hazardous materials detection, and conservation. Many secure paid internships during their education and once they receive their AS degree many employers will pay for students to continue their education, said Professor Jessica Miles, Ph.D., chair of PBSC’s Environmental Science Department.

Thanks to a paid internship with Jupiter Environmental Labs, Redfern works full-time while pursuing her AS degree which she will receive this summer. She works nine and a half hours four days a week testing soil samples for bacteria or heavy metal contamination. She takes three classes on another day and spends weekends studying. “The days are long, but I don’t mind because I love what I do,” Redfern said.

Although she currently spends most of her workday in the lab, Redfern’s preference is to be out in the field. Her long-term goal is to research wetland delineation, which is identifying and mapping a wetland’s boundaries. Florida’s extensive wetlands are under threat from pollution, development, invasive species and groundwater.  “I want to do something that betters our wetlands,” Redfern said.

She plans to pursue a bachelor’s in fall 2025 focusing on ecology and biology and receive additional specialist wetlands training in order to pursue her dream. Redfern is quick to credit her newfound zeal for education to her positive experience at PBSC. “I have learned so many things from this program,” she said.  “Environmental science is such a wide field; there’s no limit to where you can take your career.”

Like Redfern, many of the program graduates continue their education. The majority of those that chose the transfer pathway go on to Broward College to earn their Bachelor of Environmental Science, said Miles. “PBSC and Broward College have an articulation agreement that allows our A.S. graduates an opportunity to begin their bachelor’s as a junior with no credits lost.”

Other students decide to go straight into employment. “Some are working for local environmental consulting firms such as Environmental Compliance Consultants, Inc. or work for large corporations such as NextEra Energy,” Miles said. Other popular career choices are Florida’s State Parks, the National Park Service and environmental non-profits or nature centers.  Miles agrees with Redfern that Environmental Science Technology provides a strong foundation for future success. “There is such a broad range of opportunities for students in both higher education and the workforce,” Miles said.