Sarah Derwick graduated from the University of Florida in 2022 with her bachelor’s degree in Forest Resources and Conservation, specializing in Protected Areas Management. She followed her passion to the State of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Through DEP, she worked at Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park, where she helped conserve, restore, and interpret to the public 1,176 acres of protected land and historic gardens. Here she fell in love with environmental education. While working and going to school, she got married, bought her first house, and was ready to settle down permanently in Florida, but life had other plans. Her husband, Ethan, got a great job opportunity in New Jersey, so they packed up and moved to Sussex County in April 2023. Sarah heard about the NJSOC through a friend and jumped at the opportunity to continue her love of environmental education. She now splits her time between NJSOC, working as a Forestry Assistant for NJDEP Forest Service, and reveling in the beauty of New Jersey with Ethan and their beloved dog, Stinky.
