Diane Husic

I think what has really driven my success is watching students that I've worked with succeed. I have the coolest job in the world because I get to mentor students, help them find their passions, and then when they do and come back to tell me about it, those are the moments that matter most. I just had this happen the other day when a student who graduated last year came back partially to see some people, but also to come back and thank me. When you see them light up and say, this is what I'm doing now, and you helped me get here, that's the reward. When you've been in the field for a really long time, I'm lucky to have had that happen several times. Beyond that, I think it's about following meaningful work and staying curious. I was told to view environmental issues not as insurmountable problems, but as insurmountable opportunities, and I think that's a great mindset. It's about finding those stories of hope, like the Superfund site that's been converted to a wildlife refuge, and focusing on where good change is happening.

The best advice I've received is to view environmental issues not as insurmountable problems, but as insurmountable opportunities. That mindset has really shaped how I approach challenges in my work. It's about finding the positive stories, the places where good change is happening, and focusing on that rather than getting overwhelmed by the negative headlines. I always tell students they need to find those stories and find people who are doing really good work that inspire them, because that's what keeps you going in this field.

For young women in particular, I reflect back on coming up at a time in science when there were a lot more males than females, and we were told things like, well, maybe you should just be a nurse, or maybe you should go teach elementary school kids or something like that. There are so many more opportunities for women now, but they're still looking for mentors and wondering how to network. We talk a lot about, instead of networking, about net weaving. This is the idea of making connections to support everyone, not to build yourself up on your own career path, but to create this structure that is going to help everybody. That's the motto we live by. Find your mentors, make those connections, and focus on lifting everyone up together.

With any environmental issue, there are differing political views and a lot of frustration. It's so easy to focus on the headlines, which are the negative stories most often. There are no stories of where things have gone well. I always tell students they need to find those stories, and I can help them. They need to find people who are doing really good work that inspire them and focus on that positive, on where good change is happening. This has been a particularly tough year. A lot of students are feeling like there's no hope, or there's no jobs. But then you show them stories, like the student who came back last week, or people that I've gotten to meet from around the world through my work with the United Nations. These role models matter. The challenge is getting past all the negative energy, but the opportunity is in sharing those positive stories and showing that meaningful change is possible.

The values that drive me are really about stewardship, connection to nature, and supporting others. I really love to be outdoors. I love to bird, especially this time of year when migration is coming back, and there's a new birding club on campus, so I get to go out and do that with students as well. As everything comes back alive, I like to garden, spend time with my dogs, and cross-country ski. Pretty much all of my personal interests are nature-based. I grew up on Lake Superior, so being near water and in the mountains matters to me. In my work, it's about mentorship and creating meaningful connections. We talk about net weaving instead of networking, this idea of making connections to support everyone and creating a structure that helps everybody, not just building yourself up. That's the motto we live by. I also value being real with students, being a little silly, being experimental, and letting them see I'm a real person, whether that's hanging out at their folk festival or traveling to Costa Rica with them.