My name is Laney Smith and I am a 22 year old BMI Lab Technician at Sierra Streams Institute, and recent college graduate as of December, 2025. Originally from Ohio, I have had the unique opportunity to travel overseas with my family between the ages of seven and ten, visiting Thailand, Oman, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Bangalore, and many other places that allowed me to observe the beauty of the environment. I have now been settled in Northern California for the past 13 years and had the wonderful opportunity to call California my home. I have taken up various outdoor hobbies such as surfing, snowboarding, running, climbing, camping, backpacking, and hiking, allowing me to pursue constant exploration of this beautiful state. 

Through my travels at such a young age, I began to build a passion for environmental conservation by observing vast amounts of biodiversity in various climates. This is what you could say initiated my passion in pursuing a career rooted in environmental exploration.

Like many individuals early in their careers, my professional journey has been shaped by a variety of experiences that have helped me develop skills across multiple fields. Never in my professional life did I imagine I would work in a field focused on examining aquatic invertebrates; however, this role has provided me with a valuable perspective on how environmental conditions can be observed and assessed through biological indicators. Through studying benthic macroinvertebrates, I have gained a deeper understanding of how ecosystems respond to environmental stressors and how biological communities reflect the overall health of natural systems. My time at Sierra Streams Institute has not only expanded my academic knowledge but has also continued to foster my passion for gaining environmental insight that can support my long-term goal of protecting wildlife and preserving ecosystems. 

As my long-term career goal is to work in wildlife conservation and exotic animal medicine, my time with Sierra Streams has encouraged me to approach wildlife analysis by connecting indicator species into an overall environmental analysis. A critical component of caring for species is analyzing the environments they depend upon and understanding how environmental degradation can impact their survival and well-being. Because of this, my experiences with Sierra Streams Institute have become an important foundation for my future work with wildlife by taxonomic classifying environmental indicators to determine a site’s overall health, which can affect the species that depend upon it. 

My educational background leading me to my current position at Sierra Streams was rooted in my studies at California State University, Sacramento, where I earned my degree in Environmental Studies. During my time there, I developed a deep appreciation for natural systems while studying environmental sociology, ethics, soil systems, ecology, taxonomy, field procedures, water quality, and wildlife research. It was here where I was able to fully explore my passions and gain experience in the field, laboratory, and within ethical and sociological conversations regarding the environment. 

Alongside my academic workload, I volunteered at my local animal shelter and participated in planning community-driven environmental projects while interning at a state-based nonprofit. Through these experiences, I developed skills in environmental education, project coordination, animal care, environmental analysis, and collaborative problem solving. The compilation of these experiences helped me immerse myself into gardening practices, wildfire management, ethical animal care, and fueling community initiatives to improve our interactions with the environment and animals. 

While my time at Sierra Streams has been an incredible experience and it is difficult to say goodbye to such a supportive and knowledgeable team, the next chapter of my career will be rooted in animal medicine as I will be transitioning to a position working hands-on with animals in an animal hospital. This opportunity will allow me to build practical veterinary experience while connecting my background in environmental studies to my long-term goal of contributing to wildlife conservation and exotic animal medicine. Sierra Streams Institute has truly been the most incredible place that I have had the opportunity of working for and the whole team continues to inspire me everyday by teaching me something new about the world of environmental science.