Chris Yuan-Farrell started working on conservation easements when they were unfamiliar concepts in the world of environmental issues. Today, they’re a hot topic—and Yuan-Farrell is one of the experts in the field. Easements are a way for landowners to protect the environmental resources of a property in perpetuity, and have helped preserve agricultural and timber land across the U.S.

The easement research Yuan-Farrell did at SCU, working with biology and environmental studies associate professor Michelle Marvier, helped him get a position with the Nature Conservancy after graduation. And this experience led him to graduate work at Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the top-ranked school in the nation.

Yuan-Farrell plans to continue in the field after he earns his master’s degree by working with a land trust—because of the interest sparked during his time at Santa Clara.

“My undergraduate experience was truly incredible,” he says. “I was able to find an area of emphasis that I could dedicate myself to knowing that I was pursuing something meaningful.”