A lifelong interest in the out-of-doors and experience working with university students, alumni and donors led Jenny Kalejs to pounce on the station’s Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator position advertisement. “I looked at the job description and thought, ‘Wow! This is perfect.’”

Kalejs has worked at the University of Michigan’s Center for the Education of Women for the past 3 years, following a development internship with the organization in the summer of 2014. She is excited to apply her communication, events and organizational skills to the station’s field research and study mission. “I like the idea of being a liaison between the university and the Northern Michigan community and news outlets. The Biological Station is home to resources that everyone can enjoy.”

“It all goes back to my childhood,” Kalejs says. She grew up in Spring Lake, on the west side of Michigan, with a lot of great state parks nearby. Her father is a wildlife biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Not only did her family spend time in the parks and natural arears near their home, they also took vacations around the state, including many trips to the Upper Peninsula. “It never left me,” she says. As a result, being outdoors is her “happy place.”

At U-M, Kalejs studied Biopsychology Cognition and Neuroscience, while also taking classes in biology and ecology to stay connected to her childhood interests. She graduated with a B.S. in 2015.

Outside of work, Kalejs enjoys hiking, team sports, painting (“I paint outdoors when I can”) and spending time with her dog, Rosco.