JOIN us peer advisors in our office hours! We are a resource for YOU to get advice on courses, a look through your academic requirements, or be of any assistance to you as an Environmental Science student at UMass Amherst!
Here are our times for the Fall 2024 semester:
Monday: 12:30-1:30pm, 2:30-3:30pm
Tuesday: 10-11am, 1-2pm, 3:30-4:30pm
Wednesday: 11:30-2pm, 8-9pm (ZOOM ONLY)
Thursday: 1-2pm, 4-5pm
Friday: 11-1pm
Drop by Holdsworth Hall Rm 209 for a face-to-face meeting or go through Zoom Use this Link to Access Peer Office Hours
Feel free to reach out to us through email as well!
Senior Peer Advisors
Nina Costanza (ncostanza@umass.edu)
Lillian Pogany (lpogany@umass.edu)
Angel Checo Reynoso (achecoreynos@umass.edu)
Sydney Strauss (smstrauss@umass.edu)
Junior Peer Advisors
Fiona Jordan (fljordan@umass.edu)
Kayla Pacheco (kppacheco@umass.edu)
Hannah Steinbrecher (hsteinbreche@umass.edu)
Cameron Swart (cswart@umass.edu)
Meet The Peer Advisors
Senior Peer Advisors
Nina Constanza
Hi everyone!
My name is Nina and I’m from Leesburg, Virginia. I’m majoring in Environmental Science and pursuing a minor in NRC with a strong interest in ecology and habitat/wildlife conservation. I switched into EnviSci at the beginning of my sophomore year and really enjoyed the curriculum, so I wanted to be a peer advisor to become more involved and connect with other students in the major. In my time at UMass, I’ve had the opportunity to take part in a research lab on campus that worked in collaboration with the USFS to determine pollinator habitat restoration success in log landing areas, as well as assist with some water policy research. This summer, I interned as a plant healthcare technician for the Davey Tree Expert Company where I was also able to see what the commercial arboriculture industry was like in urban settings. In my free time, I love to thrift & go antiquing, visit museums, and explore local hiking trails. I’ve also been on the hunt to find the best breakfast sandwich in western Mass, so any recommendations are very welcomed. If you have any questions about scheduling, or are looking for advice about what certain courses are like, what it’s like changing majors, navigating college as an out of state student, or even just to chat, feel free to reach out at: ncostanza@umass.edu
Lilian Pogany
Hey there!!
I’m Lillian and I am a senior Environmental Science major. I transferred to UMass Amherst for my sophomore year after spending one year at UMass Dartmouth. I spent this summer interning with the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance, a non-profit volunteer led organization that researches many threatened species on the southern coast of Massachusetts. I specifically worked on their Diamondback Terrapin turtle conservation project. Additionally, I also work at a Boys & Girls Club summer camp where I run a program teaching kids about gardening, ecology, and conservation. I have a strong passion for environmental justice and using science to connect with and better serve our communities. I grew up in a city known for its heavily polluted bay that has deteriorated human health and the local economy for decades. Being raised in a community that is so heavily impacted by this ecological devastation has emboldened my passion for this field. Personally, I enjoy spending my free time with friends, being outdoors, drawing, and trying new restaurants or activities. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time for anything at all! I look forward to meeting you! My email is: lpogany@umass.edu
Angel Checo Reynoso
Hi everyone,
My name is Angel Checo Reynoso. I’m a senior from Springfield, MA, and a first-generation college student. I am double majoring in Natural Resource Conservation, with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, and Environmental Sciences. Additionally, I am pursuing a certificate in Marine and Coastal Sciences through the Five Colleges and a Geographic Information Systems Technician certificate at UMass.
On campus, I work as an RA and in an intertidal ecology lab. My interests include herpetological fauna and wetland ecology. This past summer, I worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge Complex, focusing on invasive plant species management, conducting a Common Tern census, and managing Blanding’s turtle populations.
During my first year, I struggled with academics and felt I wasn’t involved in enough extracurricular activities. As a result, I became a peer advisor to help others who are experiencing similar challenges and to share information about the many opportunities available at UMass. I love hearing about people’s interests and their efforts toward self-improvement. Please feel free to reach out to me for any help! You can contact me at achecoreynos@umass.edu.
Sydney Strauss
Hi everyone!
My name is Sydney and I’m from Sewell, NJ. I am interested in human geography and how human and nature evolution intersect to create the problems we face today. I spent this summer interning with Eagle Eye Institute in Peru, Massachusetts. There, I got to work with a demographic that I never have before, bringing urban youth from Holyoke and Springfield to the Berkshires. It was absolutely transformative to watch people experience their ‘ah-ha’ moments in nature, some for the first time in their lives.
During my Fall 2023 semester, I studied abroad in the tropical rainforest in Yungaburra, Queensland, Australia with the School for Field Studies. I learned a multitude of practical field skills for the study of both flora and fauna, as well as learning more about myself and my refining interests within the environmental science field. It was in Australia that I began writing songs as well, something I carry on with today and continue pushing myself.
I worked Dr. Om Parkash Dhanker’s phytoremediation lab my sophomore year and I am a member of WMUA, UMass’s radio club. I love all things related to music and art. In my free time I enjoy exploring nature by hiking and camping, and doing any type of arts & crafts. I look forward to meeting everyone and don’t be afraid to reach out about any questions or just to talk! My email is: smstrauss@umass.edu.
Junior Peer Advisors
Fiona Jordan
Hi everyone!
My name is Fiona and I am from Milford, Massachusetts. I am a junior environmental science major, with a strong interest in environmental policy, problem solving, and sustainability. With that, I am pursuing a business minor to combine all of my academic interests. Last semester, I had the opportunity to work alongside one of our professors as a teacher’s assistant, overseeing an NRC Policy class that allowed me pursue a leadership role through teaching. In my free time, I enjoy going on walks/hiking with friends, snowboarding, reality tv shows, and meeting new people. I also love to surf and I am on the E-board for the Umass Surf Club.
I have had such an incredible experience at UMASS and the environmental science program so far. I became a peer advisor so I can assist, connect, and learn from incoming environmental science majors and make your UMASS journey the best that it can be! Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns, my email is fljordan@umass.edu.
Cameron Swart
I am a rising junior at UMass Amherst studying Environmental Science and Earth Systems and pursuing a minor in Natural Resource Conservation. I am an out-of-state student from Easton, Pennsylvania, and have made the transition into college easier by getting involved in extracurriculars. As of now, I am the president of the Beekeeping Club, co-photographer for SSFA, treasurer for Tau Beta Sigma, and the A/V staff manager for the UMass Marching Band as well as one of your peer advisors! I am also involved in the UMass iCons program, a multidisciplinary certificate program based on real-world problem solving!
I am very passionate about environmental education, and I believe that education is the gateway to understanding the climate crisis and would like to be a keystone part of that for as many people as possible. I love working with the community and forming connections from the conversations had over these topics. Currently, I am a research assistant for the Family Forest Research Center, a USFS extension at UMass Amherst that works with a team of people to produce and collect responses to the National Woodland Ownership Survey every year. With this data, we analyze patterns within the responses and use them to detect and decide how best to help support our nation’s forests.
Please don’t be afraid to reach out if you have any questions at all! My email is cswart@umass.edu. I look forwards to meeting you all! (:
Hannah Steinbrecher
Hi! I’m Hannah and I’m a junior. I changed my major into the environmental science program my freshman year and have loved it so far – there are so many directions you can go and I hope to guide you all in finding something you’re passionate about. Having been a part of Dr. Xing’s microplastic lab as well as Professor Randhir’s solar perspectives research group, I’ve seen the different types of research conducted at UMass. My primary interests at the moment lie in sustainable architecture and design which I will be exploring this fall at the Yestermorrow Design Build School in Vermont. I am also part of the honors college, pursuing a German minor, and in the Icons Program on the renewable energy track where I have gotten to work on solving real world environmental problems. Outside of academics, I am a part of the Outing Club, the UMass club gymnastics competitive team, and I love traveling and trying new foods. Feel free to reach out if you have questions about anything at all. (hsteinbreche@umass.edu) :))
Kayla Pacheco
My name is Kayla Pacheco, and I’m a junior from Fall River, Massachusetts. I’m majoring in Environmental Science with a specialization in wildlife conservation. I have recently transferred to UMass, but I truly loved my time thus far. This summer, I participated in freshwater mussel conservation research as part of the co-op unit with the USGS here on campus. My research involves collecting freshwater mussel data in rivers and streams as part of a study understanding habitat use, ecology, and response to conservation and restoration actions such as dam removal. I am also a member of the Commonwealth Honors College and a NOAA Hollings Scholar for the class of 2026. I love hiking, I’m a horror movie fanatic, and I enjoy baking in my free time. Please reach out to me for anything you may want to talk about! You can reach me at kppacheco@umass.edu