Gaining invaluable experience in her field and dedicating herself to service were the hallmarks of Ryan Champiny’s undergraduate career at the University of Miami. The 21-year-old Champiny, who graduates with honors on May 6 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Ecosystem Science & Policy, worked as the team leader on a policy outreach report for a UNESCO Eco-Hydrology Demonstration Site on coastal mangrove restoration in Great Exuma. She also studied predator-prey dynamics in the Dominican Republic before traveling abroad with the UGalapagos program in the fall of 2014.
In addition, Champiny was a teaching assistant for a field methods course and assisted students in mapping and identifying plants and birds. Collaborating with a Ph.D. student at the Leonard and Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, she also studied mosquito vector ecology.
Through UM’s Butler Center for Volunteer Service and Leadership Development, Champiny, who is from Sarasota, Florida, participated in a special-interest housing program known as STRIVE (Serving Together Reaching Integrity, Values and Engagement). Program participants are committed to civic engagement, volunteer service, and leadership endeavors.
As a member of STRIVE’s Environment Group, Champiny volunteered throughout the year at the on-campus Gifford Arboretum. In the local community, she served for two years on the board of the local non-profit organization, TREEmendous Miami, a group of dedicated citizens making Miami-Dade a greener, cooler, healthier, and more enjoyable environment in which to live.
Champiny hopes to earn her master’s degree in environmental science.
