Dana Grad

Background

About Dana Grad

I have always been passionate about interacting and learning about environments around the globe. This was sparked as a preteen camper backpacking through Pictured Rocks National Park and learning how to survive with the supplies in my pack and fellow campers. From there this passion grew after I graduated from high school and traveled southeast Asia, installing water filters to bring clean water to Cambodian villages, interviewing Vietnamese about the long term devastation of agent orange, and delivering aid to Fijian communities in the wake of Category 5 Cyclone Winston. This gap year helped me focus the direction of my area of study at the University of Denver as well as how I spent time off campus: summitting 14ers, teaching whitewater kayaking, and back country skiing and camping. All of these pursuits depend on a healthy environment. My interest may have started with small hands on projects and exposure, but I am now motivated to put those into the context of global environmental threats.