Chris Wisneski, a graduate student pursuing a degree in biology at Eastern New Mexico University, wants to pursue a career as a large carnivore biologist or a game warden with a federal or state agency.

Chris received his bachelor's degree in wildlife fisheries and science from ENMU in fall 2017. During his childhood, the graduate student spent most of his time outdoors and dreamed of pursuing a career that would allow him to do just that. "To me, the idea of working with wildlife is not work at all. It is a hobby that is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and the places they inhabit," he said.

Chris is a graduate assistant for the Department of Biology. He is responsible for teaching general biology to non-majors and working in the Natural History Museum with the dead and live animal collections.

He chose ENMU because of the great comments he heard about the wildlife program. He has had the opportunity to connect with his professors; Dr. Ivana Mali, assistant professor of wildlife biology, and Dr. Darren Pollock, professor of entomology, have played big roles in mentoring him throughout his collegiate career. "At ENMU, you are not just a number, you are an individual who the professors get to know," explained Chris.

One of his favorite courses was "Wildlife Management and Conservation." This course gave him hands-on experience in the field. "It was my favorite class because we created our own wildlife management plan based on a piece of property that we assessed," he said.

His advice to others pursuing a field in biology and wildlife is "to study and study some more. The major will challenge you every step of the way, but it is worth it."

Chris was born and raised in Los Lunas, New Mexico, and has two other siblings. He enjoys hunting, fishing and watching sports in his spare time.