Takeaways

Takeaways - Program Perspective

Over the life of the program, more than 200 students completed the Collaborative. Today they are spread across the conservation field—in universities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community-based conservation programs.

Some pursued graduate degrees and are now early career researchers and scientists. Others moved directly into professional roles in wildlife management, policy, education, and applied conservation work. Together as multiple cohorts, they are  embedded across the conservation field.

When the program began, the premise was that if students were given access to strong mentorship, meaningful experiences, and professional networks, many of them would go on to build careers in conservation. Over time, that premise proved true.

What’s exciting now is seeing how this network of alumni continues to grow and influence the field in different ways. They are working in many different places, on a range of conservation challenges, but they remain connected through the relationships and experiences that began in the program.

Together, they represent a growing community of conservation professionals whose influence on the field will continue for years to come.

To hear how these themes unfolded over time, visit the Alumni Stories collection, where Scholars reflect in their own words on what stayed with them and how their experiences shaped the paths they chose.

Rena Borkhataria reflecting on all of the various components that made the Doris Duke program beneficial for scholars.

Doris Duke Scholars training together.

Alumni Video Hub

Playlist

13 Videos

Alumni Excerpts

"And I can't wait to see what the future holds for us as a community. I think that a lot of us, like I said, it's been 10 years since I started the program, which is crazy, and a lot of us have are in actual careers now, like, I started this program when I was 20, and I'm about to turn 30 in a few months. And, like, like, we are the scientists now. We were being trained then, and so I think it's a huge feat, and it's an amazing thing. And so many people have benefited. And so I'm really excited and happy that I got to be involved with this."
Hannah Innocent
"The people in the community that I met while doing the all of the different internships, the week at NCTC, all of that, it was so amazing to be with all these people, I've been able to reach out since then for advice with anything from resumes to “Hey, you have a job, possibly in your area”. I've joined discord servers and things with them so that I can keep connected with everyone. We still talk like everybody will check up, hey, I got this really cool job here, and we'll, like, congratulate them, or, you know, graduate opportunities. And we all just keep connected. And it's really helped me, along with applying for things, being better prepared for what I'm about to go into, and more confident in being able to pursue my career in this fiel"
Felix
"I feel like I can think of it in three different ways. There's the relationships that have stayed with me. There's the internal guidance that I learned as a part of the program. And there's the benefit of having that work on my record through papers. The first one, the people, are the most important part that stayed with me. One of my best friends, Emma, was someone that I really got to know through the program. I knew her a little bit before then because we were both at the same school, but she's just one of my best friends, and we still talk all the time about conservation and many other things. Being able to have a publication out of my second summer from Doris Duke probably really helped me get into the Stanford Graduate School that I'm in now and also that science has helped me connect with other scientists that are doing similar things."
Arjun Haus

Doris Duke Scholars growing professionally and advancing in their fields.

Achievements

The most visible measure of the program’s impact is found in the accomplishments of its Scholars.

Following their participation in the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program Collaborative, our alumni have pursued graduate degrees and entered positions with federal and state agencies, nonprofit conservation organizations, research institutions, and community-based programs across the country. They have presented research at multiple national conferences, published in peer-reviewed journals, secured competitive fellowships, and contributed to applied conservation efforts in the field.

Over time, many have stepped into leadership roles within established organizations, and some have launched new nonprofit and community-based initiatives of their own, extending conservation work into spaces and communities across the globe.

The collective presence of Scholars at national meetings reflects this ongoing engagement. In 2024, the Collaborative was honored with the Group Achievement Award at The Wildlife Society Annual Meeting, recognizing the broader impact of the program and its participants within the profession.