Student Stories
Kayla Herriman
Forestry Technology graduate
Seed Extractory Manager, United States Forest Service
Out at the Region 6 Bend Seed Extractory, a warehouse-sized U.S. Forest Service facility within the National Forest Nursery system, Kayla Herriman has the future in her hands — the future of trees and plants, that is. The COCC Forestry Technology graduate went on to receive a master's degree in forest resources from the University of Idaho and now manages the busy operation at the Region 6 Bend Seed Extractory.
"What I valued most was my time in the field. The professors really took the time to balance classroom and field time."
"We currently work with seed from across the United States from more than 4,000 different species of grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees," she says. From rare orchids to Joshua trees, they handle seeds that go to restoration projects and research. "It's much like garden seed that people purchase at their local hardware store, but with native species that land managers are using for restoration projects on public land."
"What I valued most was my time in the field," Herriman says of her COCC experience. "The professors really took the time to balance classroom and field time. It was exciting to go to class every day knowing that we would explore something new."
Early on, she landed her first field position thanks to the technical rigor of her training. "I got my first Forest Service job doing stand exams because I knew how to use all of the equipment," Herriman says. "The foundational skills I learned at COCC were instrumental in getting me here." Herriman was recently promoted to national seed specialist for the Forest Service.
Cal Miller
Forestry Technology graduate
U.S.F.S. Silviculture Forestry Technician, Sisters Ranger District
"I was very impressed with my professors' breadth of knowledge and their dedication to the success of their students. It wasn't until I started with the Forest Service that I truly realized how well prepared I was to enter the workforce. For that, I can thank the great faculty at COCC. When I started working in silviculture, I knew I had made the right decision going through the COCC Forestry program. It set me up very well — many of my most competent, field-going colleagues have also studied at COCC."
Chelsea Smith
Forestry Technology graduate
Natural resources technician
Chelsea Smith tried on many hats during her Cooperative Work-Study experience with the Ochoco National Forest. "The most memorable one was going out with one of the wildlife biologists and catching, ID-ing, and submitting Ochoco bumblebee information to a database for a partner organization," she says. "It certainly helped motivate me to keep going with my degree, because I loved the work I ended up doing."
Coordinated by the COCC Forestry Technology program, and requiring a commitment over the summer, the Work-Study opportunity provided some incredible hands-on time for Smith — and a job offer the following season.
"It gave me the confidence to request different experiences and the opportunity to branch out into other departments for a day or two," she says. That foot in the door, she adds, helped her clarify how her degree could be applied in a work setting. "Learning how the agency was organized was part of the class and provided a clearer understanding of how I could move through the agency, or other organizations, and what I would potentially need to advance."
Now with an eye on a bachelor's degree in both forestry and wildlife biology, Smith recently secured a seasonal natural resources job in Enterprise, Oregon — a job opening she heard about from a COCC Forestry Technology email.
