JOHNSON CITY – David Crockett High School graduate Evan Alvarado initially planned for a career in nursing.
But after taking a course at East Tennessee State University about wildland firefighting, he had a change of heart.
“The day the class ended, I immediately changed my major to park and recreation management,” he said. “It has been fantastic, and I haven’t looked back.”
Part of the Clemmer College at ETSU, a concentration in park and recreation management trains students how to plan, organize and lead a range of agencies and programs.
Alvarado got a boost to his professional progression when he participated as one of only a handful of selected college students in the John Freemuth Student Congress held at Boise State University in October. The invitation-only event included meetings, panels, field trips and other activities all centered around the history and current issues related to public land management.
“It was an honor to go, and it really opened my eyes to so many possibilities,” he said.
When he isn’t in the classroom or getting hands-on learning opportunities at ETSU, Alvarado is serving as a volunteer firefighter. He assisted with the Hatcher Mountain-Indigo Lane wildfire in nearby Sevier County, a devastating fire that seared thousands of acres in late summer.
“I saw how the environment, people and homes were affected,” he said. “It changed my view on the importance of effective fire management policy and how it could be valuable knowledge to add to my current curriculum and experiences.”
Eventually, he hopes to land a full-time position with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management or a state park service.
“My park and recreation degree will be an excellent base for that, and I am so grateful to all the ETSU faculty and staff who have helped me along the way,” he added.