TWS member Janelle Chojnacki honored for outstanding achievement

TWS member Janelle Chojnacki, a graduate student at Humboldt State University, won the 2021 California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement.

The award recognizes students for their superior academic performance, community service and personal achievement.

Chojnacki is the treasurer of the California North Coast Chapter of The Wildlife Society as well as a field trip chair for the Redwood Region Audubon Society. In both of these groups, she has focused on making wildlife biology accessible to the community by reaching out to groups that have been historically excluded from birding events, focusing on women, youth and minorities.

“I want to show people that science can be dirty and messy and that women can excel in science,” Chojnacki said in an article on Humboldt State University’s website. She credits her appreciation for nature and science to growing up in a small town with creeks, rivers, lakes and forests nearby.

Chojnacki is going into her third semester at Humboldt State University this fall. Her graduate research will focus on mitigating harmful effects of invasive species and restoring sensitive habitats.

Read more about Chojnacki at Humboldt State University’s website.

Keywords: Janelle Chojnacki, Humboldt State University, 2021 California State University Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement