Gabrielle Roman, School for Field Studies, Endangered Species Conservation

“I had the privilege of spending the first four months of 2024 studying and conducting research on endangered species conservation at the Kilimanjaro Biodiversity Center in Kimana, Kenya. My semester there was incredible to say the least – filled with beautiful, challenging, and insightful days. Thank you Yale University and The School for Field Studies for this opportunity.

This School for Field Studies (SFS) Kenya semester abroad program hosts twenty students from colleges and universities across the U.S. At their Center for Endangered Species Conservation, I took classes in Swahili and East African Culture, Endangered Species Conservation, Ecology of Endangered Wildlife, Human Dimensions in Conservation (my favorite class!), and Directed Research. Our courses were divided between field exercises and lecture series.

We spent the month of March traveling along southwestern Kenya. During this excursion, we received lectures from prominent scientists, veterinarians, and managers from Amboseli National Park, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and many other conservation organizations. Our education continued when we flew to Rwanda and stayed at the Dian Fossey Center, where we learned about mountain gorilla ecology and conservation from those who know it best.

For the final month of the program, I conducted a research project with six other students. Our project analyzed human-lion conflicts in Mbirikani Group Ranch, an area 20 miles from our SFS campus. After writing a research proposal and having our project approved, we surveyed nearly 300 Maasai livestock owners about their experiences with the Mbirikani Predator Compensation Fund. We then analyzed our data in SPSS, wrote a final paper, and prepared a presentation. In our last few days on campus, we presented our findings to over 100 community members that live in Kimana and Mbirikani.

I loved my time in Kenya. I learned so much about myself, the world, and my role within it. If you are an undergraduate student interested in participating in an abroad program like SFS Kenya, please feel free to reach out to me!”

Gabrielle Roman, EVST ‘25