Alumni Profile: Meredith Garren ‘15

“Rabun Gap truly fostered a sense of respect and compassion for other cultures that has stuck with me and will continue to guide my pursuits in protecting the planet. Working for the Sustainability Program under direct supervision of Mr. Woody Malot, provided me with the background, knowledge, experience, and passion of environmental stewardship and sustainability.  I am forever grateful for the opportunities provided to me that would not have been possible without this experience, Mr. Malot, and Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School”.  

As a student,  I worked in the Sustainability Department, a part of the Student Work Program,  and served as the President of the Environmental Stewardship Program.  After graduating, I attended The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), graduating in 2019 with a degree in International Environmental Studies.  I chose to combine International Studies with Environmental Studies because of my time at Rabun Gap where diversity is prevalent.  I studied abroad in Sorrento, Italy, where I got to learn even more about culture, while interning for the Marine Protected Areas Program at the same time.  I decided I wanted my environmental efforts to reach beyond state lines and across the planet because sustainability is a global initiative.  

In Fall of 2019, I moved to Tallahassee, Florida to work for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as an Environmental Specialist I.  This position was working with hazardous waste sites, the CERCLA Superfund Program, and Brownfields Remediation sites.  I wrote many reports and visited multiple sites throughout the State to conduct investigations on behalf of the State and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure proper cleanup of groundwater, surface, and soil surrounding these sites.  I stayed in this position for a year and a half, until I was recently hired as the Senior Permit Lead Environmental Specialist III for the Office of Water Policy and Ecosystems Restoration at FDEP.  In this position, I will work with permitting and projects related to various ecosystems, specifically the Florida Everglades.  I am also a current Graduate Student majoring in Global Sustainability with a Concentration in Global Climate Change at the University of South Florida.