THE PERSON

As a high school student in Colorado, Kendra Talbott knew she wanted to leave her home state for college. She started looking at schools in the Midwest and on the West Coast, but in her heart she was struggling to find the place that was right for her. Then, Kendra looked east, to Philadelphia. What she found was a city that offered everything she wanted, and a university where she would never be just a face in the crowd.

THE PROJECT

After coming to Philadelphia University from the other side of the country, Kendra decided to take her learning to the other side of the world for an experience that was, in a word, life-changing. She spent a month in Africa — working with the Kenya School for Field Studies — studying wildlife management. Specifically, her project involved examining environmental and wildlife conflicts occurring between humans and animals in the Kenya and delivering a research paper outlining her findings.

THE WORK

Kendra began her project by learning about the history of Kenya, its lands, and its people. From there, she focused specifically on a troubling and growing trend — animal poaching in the Kenyan bush. She conducted fieldwork, collected data, and spent time every day interacting with locals. Kendra also worked very closely with African professors from the Kenya School for Field Studies, and spent time looking into how the problem was affecting the Maasai Mara, a tribe that lives harmoniously with nature.

THE RESULTS

Kendra's research found that much of the poaching is a result of the struggle many Kenyans have endured trying to make a living as ranchers and farmers. Her research paper was a success and is directly relevant to her career aspiration of environmental management. But the success of this project goes far beyond that. Above all, Kendra gained an experience and a perspective unlike anything she thought possible.

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