Extraordinary Students

Name: Roshunda N. Lipsey
Graduation Year: 2011
School: Mississippi Valley State University

I am a third year graduate student majoring in Environmental Health with a concentration in Quality Control. I have interned with the Environmental Protection Agency as a program specialist, working in the Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds during the summer of 2009. I am currently a Biology teacher at Leflore County High School in Itta Bena, MS.

1. Why did you choose an environmental health career?

I chose this career path for several reasons. I wanted to be part of something that not only benefited me. Environmental health careers are not just designed to benefit humans. Choosing a career in environmental health means that I plan to also help protect the environment in any way possible. Another reason I chose this career path is the endless job opportunities that are provided for me. There are few career paths that incorporate air, water, food, safety, and health all in one.

2. What do you like most about the EH program you are in?

My favorite aspect of the EH program has to be the professors. They come from diverse backgrounds, and they bring more to the classroom than just their teaching capabilities. Many of them have worked for state and federal agencies, so with them come the personal expertise as to how to apply some of these situations that are only read about in textbooks to real world situations.

3. What do you see yourself doing after graduation?

After successfully completing this program, I plant to pursue my doctoral degree in Environmental Health Sciences at either Tulane University or the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

4. What would you like to say to potential students to recruit them into an environmental health degree program?

This program can offer potential new students endless job opportunities in a field that is constantly increasing in demand. The environmental health degree program is an excellent opportunity for new students who want to major in a program who want to impact, not just their immediate surroundings, but the whole world around them.