1. What is your name, which TSD schools did you attend, and what year did you graduate?
My name is Dominique Rowell, and I attended Berthoud High School. I graduated in 2018.
2. What have you been doing since graduation, and what is your proudest accomplishment?
I attended CU Boulder where I graduated with an Environmental Engineering degree. During college, I worked both for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as a water analyst and for CU’s environmental center in various roles. Since graduating college, I have been working for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) as an air pollution engineer.
My proudest accomplishment has been working to advance environmental justice in both my current job and as a member of the group Foundations for Leaders Organizing for Water and Sustainability (FLOWS).
3. What is your best memory of school?
My best memory of school was when my AP environmental teacher, Ms. Wold, took our class on a field trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we snowshoed and learned about the park’s ecosystem during winter.
4. What was your biggest challenge during school?
My biggest challenge during school was juggling AP classes and all the extracurriculars I did (band, show choir, theatre, robotics, and even soccer one year), but I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
5. What do you know now that you wish your younger self had known?
I wish my younger self had known that working yourself too hard does not make life easier in the long run.
6. What advice would you give to students in school now?
My advice to students now would be that your school days are only temporary so try to enjoy them as much as you can, that’s what you’ll remember most!
7. Name one person who changed your life for the better during school and how they did it.
One person who changed my life for the better during school was my AP human geography teacher, Mrs. Rendall. She was someone I could confide in with any sort of dilemma, and her classroom was always a safe space for me, even after I was no longer in her class.
8. If you could wave a magic wand and change something about your school years, what would it be?
If I had a magic wand, I would bring back the students and friends we lost during my time at Berthoud High. Those were difficult times and I hope students never have to go through that in the future.
9. How did school prepare you for what you are doing now?
I was a participant in the STEM program at Berthoud, which immensely helped form a solid baseline background for the career I chose after graduating. The project I did as a part of that program also helped me land my job with the USGS that I had during college.
10. What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I am hoping to pass my Professional Engineering (P.E.) exam this spring and will hopefully use that to advance my career with the CDPHE, where I ultimately hope to help make Colorado a healthier and more equitable place to live.