2021 MSU International Awards: Tracy Melvin Homer Higbee International Education Award

Tracy Melvin 

Ph.D. candidate, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Tracy Melvin is co-creator and co-leader of Michigan State University’s first graduate-student-led and graduate-student-administered study abroad program, A Fragile Fiji: Integrating Ecology and Human Dimensions in the Face of Climate Change.  She is making significant contributions to the support of international awareness at MSU through involvement in programs that promote cross-cultural understanding, demonstrating what it means to be a Homer Higbee International Education Award recipient. 

Melvin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife in the Applied Forest and Wildlife Ecology Laboratory. She also leads a weekly, global, collaborative meeting of the Women in Nature Network, connecting a network of about 127 women from chapters in India, Nepal, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Guyana, Australia, Kenya and Bhutan to support each other’s conservation efforts  Melvin is the director of strategic partnerships for Ecologists without Borders (Global). In this role, she volunteers to coordinate and support Ecologists without Borders’ work with global, national, and state partners and networks, including businesses, non-profits, and associations. 

Her research focuses on biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene specific to climate adaptation. Melvin’s work is global in scope but focuses on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska as a case study. She is a fellow for the United States Geological Survey, and was a student trustee for The Nature Conservancy, Michigan Chapter. Melvin serves as co-coordinator of the Leadership Institute at MSU, where she previously served as a Leadership Development Fellow. In this role, her activities focused on all-college and university-wide community building through vulnerable storytelling tailored around universal, shared human experiences. 

—An interview with Tracy Melvin—

Why is it important to the international community to better manage ecosystems transformation?

Climate change and changing ecosystems are a ubiquitous global issue—they are complex and require the creativity of many in order to best manage the sixth extinction and climate crisis for humanity and our fellow travelers on planet Earth. If we don’t get it right in the next few decades, we might not have another chance like this.

What were you able to learn from living in an indigenous community in Fiji and why is it important for global sustainability?

Spending real time with Fijians and being able to live with them changed all of our lives for the better. Fijians measure success based on the well-being and happiness of their loved ones and of their community. When I think of success here in the U.S., I think of productivity, prestige and money. When you start to think about your life and purpose in the Fijian way, it changes everything. The Fijian way of life is wise and open and giving—this is one of the most powerful lessons I think any of us learned in a long time and it’s one of those life lessons that you can only learn experientially. 

Why do you work with Women in Nature Network and Ecologists Without Borders and how are those connected to your goals?

I volunteer for the Women in Nature Network which is one of those things that is at the heart and soul of what I do. It is honest and vulnerable and effective—we can connect with women all over the world in a chat, in a Zoom session, and lift up the good work of women doing difficult and innovative conservation work just about anywhere. WiNN is not connected to my dissertation or coursework, but it is one of those things that is perhaps more important, it helps you develop yourself as a whole-scientist, and allows you to realize you have something to contribute to the world, and that you share common elements of your humanity with a global community. I also volunteer with Ecologists Without Borders because this is a phenomenal group of professionals creating a network of scientists that can consult on difficult ecological issues worldwide. EcoWB emphasizes knowledge sharing, and experience-sharing—both of these are needed for the complexity of applied ecological issues facing the world. 

Why do you feel it is key to work to dismantle systemic racism in the wildlife profession and use “vulnerable storytelling?"

I helped put on a session called “Dismantling Systemic Racism in the Wildlife Profession” at my professional society’s annual meeting in 2020. I think the key to this important work is to: 1) be quiet, listen, and lift up other people; 2) share power equitably; and 3) do the work that you said you would do with real, meaningful, tangible outcomes. Part of this is being vulnerable and uncomfortable. One of my good friends used the phrase “learning to be comfortable with discomfort” and I think that is perfect. I think one of the best ways to learn from each other is to use storytelling, and to do your best to make the story space a safe one. 

Why is cross-cultural understanding important to you? 

We live in a world that gets more broken when we fail to value cross-cultural understanding, sharing and the global community. We end up living a smaller life, we shrink away from possibility. We miss out on opportunities for understanding the world and how we fit in it—opportunities we never knew existed—missing out on these things causes us to live a life that is smaller, less vibrant, less meaningful, less lived. Cross-cultural understanding is one of those powerful things that can act as a node, one that can change many life trajectories for the better. It is one of the most dear things to me. 

What cross-cultural understanding do you have thanks to your studies at MSU that you wouldn’t have otherwise? 

I can’t begin to fully answer this question, because MSU has given me a litany of deep and powerful experiences that have changed my life. I understand the value of empathy, vulnerability and authentic listening. I understand the power of connecting people in a brave space. I understand that, as we know more, we realize just how little we know. Perhaps most importantly for me, I understand that life is fleeting and we ought to use this time to put good and honest things out into the world as best we can, as fast as we can, for the betterment of the most people.

The Homer Higbee International Education Award recognizes full-time and degree seeking MSU students at the undergraduate and graduate level who are making significant contributions to the support of international awareness at MSU through involvement in programs that promote cross-cultural understanding on campus and in the community.