My CV

Dana Bookman

01 / 03
1

Growing Up

I was born and raised just outside of Philadelphia. I grew up being encouraged to explore nature and my creativity as much as possible.

2

The Big Move

When I was 14, my mom, stepdad, and I moved to the New Hampshire coast. Living 5 minutes from the ocean sprouted my love for biology and photography. In high school, my favorite classes were photography, marine biology, and astronomy. I graduated high school in 2019 with hopes of pursuing a degree that could combine my love for the environment and the arts.

3

The In-Between

Fast forward to the present day, I live on the southern Maine seacoast with my boyfriend, his family, and our corgi. My boyfriend and I are currently saving up to buy our first home!

After graduating high school, I struggled quite a bit with finding the college that was right for me. I ultimately found Unity College, where I have been pursuing my environmental studies degree remotely for over two years. I really enjoy the freedom and flexibility the classes give me to be able to create my own schedule and still obtain a degree in a 4-year timeline. I have also loved exploring a wide variety of subjects, from studying environmental documentaries to learning the ins and outs of GIS.

Bahamas

Frankfurt, Germany

Paris, France

Quebec City, Canada

Montreal, Canada

Italy

Marrakech, Morocco

Essaouira, Morocco

Bahamas

I have had the great privilege of traveling internationally with my family since I was 9. My first time traveling outside of the country was to the Bahamas!

Frankfurt, Germany

My first trip to Europe!

Paris, France

I visited Paris on the same trip as Frankfurt.

Quebec City, Canada

I went to Quebec City twice, once with family, and once with my middle school french class-both in the dead of winter!

Montreal, Canada

Italy

This was a big extended family trip. We visited Florence, Lucca, Vinci, and Cinque Terre!

Marrakech, Morocco

My stepdad is from Marrakech, so it was really cool to see where he grew up. We spent a lot of days in these kinds of markets shopping and eating.

Essaouira, Morocco

On the same trip as Marrakech, we took day-trips to various places in Morocco. My favorite was Essaouira because it was built right on the ocean, so the entire town has massive stone walls to keep the water out. Occasionally, the waves would splash right over the top!

As I pursue my degree, I want to get field experience, so I volunteer with a few different organizations. I do the most work with the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, where I have helped with events and maintenance.

 

Discover Your Wild day at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

The Spice and Tea Exchange, Portsmouth NH

I also have a few years of various job experiences. My most notable jobs were working in retail at The Spice and Tea Exchange in Portsmouth and being a receptionist at Animal Welfare Society Clinic in Kennebunk. Working for a small business and a nonprofit are very different experiences, but both gave me knowledge and skills I can use to succeed in the future.

 

In my free time, I love to forage! It combines my love for nature and cooking and helps me explore new places. Pictured below is an extract I made using wintergreen leaves and berries (good medicinally and for mint flavoring), hawthorn berries, hazelnuts, a mixture of wild blueberries, dewberries, and huckleberries, and a salad with a purslane (common garden weed) base.

 

Cooking and baking are some of my favorite hobbies, as I find them to be really meditative. Below I have posted pictures of focaccia, miso eggplant, butternut squash soup, maple cranberry baked oatmeal, and candied cranberries.