USD Magazine Fall 2020

[ s o l a c e ]

by Julene Snyder A Love of nature becomes life’s work DEEPLY ROOT ED n innate, deep-rooted love of nature comes through loud and clear

of his suggested he look at UC San Diego, so at a college fair, he gravitated to a booth with the words “San Diego” prominently displayed. As it turns out, the booth was actually for the Uni- versity of San Diego. Fortuitously, the admissions counselor man- ning the booth convinced him to apply to USD. “And then, when I visited campus with my mom, I couldn’t believe it. I was going to college at a resort?” A lover of the ocean, he initially thought he’d major in marine sci- ence. “Then I thought, maybe philosophy. I took an environ- mental philosophy course with Dr. Mark Woods and I got inter- ested in the social aspect of science and the environment;

the day-to-day decisions people make, shaping policies, govern- ment management, land owner- ship.” He took the middle path and settled his focus on environ- mental studies. While a first-year student, he got interested in the Ocean Discovery Institute (ODI) during a class, and was brought on as a summer intern. He subsequently joined the institute upon gradua- tion and worked there for the next 17 years. He says that ODI started at the Mission Bay Sports Center “in a kayak closet,” over the years growing in its mission. Around 2007, the institute underwent a full rebrand. “We became hyper- focused on one community, City

rounded by animals and nature.” While he says his dad mainly “dabbled” in farming, the family also had “one of every farm ani- mal” at one point or another. His love of the natural world was deepened by opportunities to travel while still a teenager. When it came time for college, he knew that to continue to feed his ex- ploratory yearnings, he was going to have to leave his home state. Kemnitz recalls that a friend

when Travis Kemnitz ’02 (BA) speaks. Perhaps that’s why the new executive director of the San Diego Audubon Society waxes rhapsodic when he talks about growing up in Clackamas, Oregon, outside of Portland. “I grew up on a farm, and I have vivid memories of walking through forests. We were sur-

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