Written by Maggie Raker, Culture, Wellness & Lifestyle Editor
Although some may sigh to get this reminder so early in the semester, it’s never too late to have an eye toward the future. Going to college is, at its core, a foundational step in preparing for the rest of your life and determining which opportunities you want to pursue. While exciting, already busy students often find themselves overwhelmed or uncertain of if they’re on the right path. Luckily, the strength of community at Roanoke College gives us a chance to be guided and advised by some incredible adults who have experience navigating such transitions. This week, I talked to Dr. Cherie McKeeman, a beloved professor with the biology and INQ programs, to find out more!
Q: What has your educational journey looked like?
A: As my son says, “Boy howdy”. My dad was in the army, and I started primary school in St. Louis, Missouri. We moved to Chester, Virginia, when I was in second grade, and I was devastated to leave Ms. Clifford’s class (I recovered). I did the rest of my primary education in Chester and graduated from Thomas Dale High School in 2000. Surprisingly, my favorite classes were Calculus I and II. I went to Butler University for my undergrad, graduating in 2004. Changed my major several times and ended up with a double major in Secondary Education and Biology. I worked as a high school science teacher for 3 years and got a master’s in special education from Southern Connecticut State University in 2007. Quickly realized I wanted to do ecological research and left secondary education. After some bumbling about, I got a master’s in environmental studies from Green Mountain College in 2013 (which has since closed down). This was followed by a PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in 2020. On the teaching side of education, I was a Teaching Assistant for several courses at UNBC and was an adjunct faculty for a very short spell at Portland State University.
Q: How did you decide where you wanted to go after your undergraduate program?
A: I was most worried about getting hired. I was confident I did not want to stay in Indianapolis but wasn’t sure where I wanted to end up. I don’t remember how I learned about Grove School in Connecticut, where I got my first teaching job. Reflecting now, I remember feeling aimless and was hoping an external body would provide me with direction.
Q: What was your first job/career opportunity after higher education, and what was it like?
A: After undergrad, I worked as a high school science teacher at a therapeutic boarding school in Connecticut. It was difficult. I taught multiple different class preps while also living as dorm staff with the students. I like to believe I learned a lot about empathy and some about patience.
I held multiple jobs during and after my graduate education. I worked as a Biological Observer on fishing boats in the Bering Sea, for Americorps, for Student Conservation Association, and for The Nature Conservancy. After I completed my PhD, I worked as a Geneticist and Lab Manager at the Alaska Science Center with the United States Geological Survey. All my various jobs during and after graduate work provided a wealth of experiential learning; the job with USGS was the first that provided “wealth”.
Q: How do you think education and career trajectories have changed for the current generation?
A: We have lost so many important jobs in the United States in the recent past. I worry what early career looks like for so many people beginning in my field (and so many others). I’m proud to see that more people are getting research experience earlier in their educations, and that places like Roanoke College are focusing on methodology in a field just as much as content.
Q: What is the most important non-academic lesson you learned in school?
A: At every institution I have met incredible people. When I was in undergrad, I thought I had to do it all myself; that friends were for good times and professors were there to judge. It took me too long to realize that most everyone wants what’s best for most everyone else. The most important lesson I learned was to get to know other people, even the messy bits. To be honest about my messy bits and take critique not always as a teardown but as someone trying to help me. Finally, to differentiate the critiques that are meant to minimize me from those that are meant to help me.
Q: What do you wish you knew when you were an undergrad student?
A: Luck has a lot to do with so many parts of our lives. Though that may seem disheartening, I wish I knew earlier that it means you have to put yourself out there more than can be comfortable (for some more than others). Find ways to persist in discomfort. Send a resume, reach out, work hard while accepting disappointment. It may not be a straight line from undergrad to dream job, even if you work your butt off. A failure does not mean you are a failure.
