A while back one of my mentors said to me "You're a great example of a top-mark biology major who sees that the world is in a crisis and dedicates her life to being part of a solution. How is it that any other intelligent person would dedicate his/her life any other way?" In the past few months that I've been pondering this, an easy answer hasn't come to mind.

I was fortunate to grow up in a quiet, safe suburb near Portland, Oregon. I spent my summers playing with worms, gardening with my mother, tumbling down hills, climbing trees, and studying insects. My family went to the Oregon coast several times a year and walked along the wide, sandy beaches. My mom and I would look for shells and agates while my dad picked up trash. I never thought much of it.

In high school I grew really fond of science, taking almost every class offered and even joining the Science Olympiad team. I volunteered at the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and learned how to interact with and educate children. By the time I entered college I knew I wanted to study biology -- maybe become a geneticist. But I wasn't sure, so again I took as many courses as I could find time for. I wanted to explore the discipline completely and try to find my place in the world.

Eventually all my hours in chemistry and biology labs made me realize that being a researcher looking at agar plates, electrophoresis gels, glass slides and the insides of animals just wasn't for me. So I went exploring some more -- spending a summer collecting data at a native wetland prairie, joining then leading of the campus environmental awareness club, hiking with friends, cooking organic meals with the vegetarian club, picking up trash on the beach, and picking up more trash around creeks with the local watershed council.

Somewhere along the way I realized that the non-profit environmental sector was the right place for me. Large and small, they are invaluable institutions that educate and bring together communities and make tremendous steps towards protecting and restoring natural ecosystems -- be they creeks in our backyard or public lands hundreds of miles away. Earthjustice has provided me with a career opportunity at an organization that's aligned with my "green" values -- fighting in the courtrooms to protect the planet while buying recycled office supplies and using little electric heat and AC. Here, keeping up with environmental legislation and innovation is important and actually encouraged. The diverse, friendly staff at Earthjustice are like family and support my efforts to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle. I hope to be part of it for a long time. 

Jeanine Crider has been Earthjustice since 2005. She grew up in southern Washington and received a B.S. in Biology from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Jeanine works in Planned Giving, helping supporters create a legacy of environmental protection.