Growing up in rural Washington State, Johnny Buck spent most of his time outside, on the banks of the Columbia River. Over the years, he began to notice that the traditional foods and plants his family and their community relied on were beginning to die off and experience extreme shifts in their growing seasons. It was these changes that pushed Buck to pursue a dream he didn’t even realize he had: researching plant phenology — the study of periodic biological phenomena in relation to climate conditions — to contribute to solving challenges around biodiversity.

Jada Johnson grew up in Cloquet, Minn., which she calls “a smaller town, but bigger than most.” Even though she says there isn’t a lot to do around Cloquet, Johnson, Ojibwe, stays busy with extracurricular activities. As an added bonus, the organizations Johnson is a part of often allow her to travel beyond her home-town. “I’ve always been involved in things like science fairs and Upward Bound that take me places,” she says.

Kaleo Norman graduated with a degree in electrical engineering, full of excitement at the promise of a career in his field. Still, it took almost two years before he found a role in a professional workplace that allows him to follow his passion for engineering. But for him, it’s all been worth it, and he’s happy to share what he’s learned. “If you’re pursuing something that you enjoy but are going through a struggle,” he says, “don’t ever give up.”

When Rebecca Price first enrolled at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), she went in with a tentative plan to get her associate’s degree in business administration. But by the time she left her student orientation, she had changed her mind. Inspired by what she heard about the science department, including NASA-funded projects and student internships, Price chose to go in a completely different direction. She decided then and there to pursue a dual major in pre-engineering and AutoCAD, which meant getting her computer-aided drafting and design certificate.

Celebration was in the air at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) this past April. A team of students from the Albuquerque, N.M., school had topped 20 other college teams to win the NASA Swarmathon. In this lively robotics competition, teams from minority-serving institutions develop computer code used by swarms of robots in an arena to autonomously find and collect the most resources. More than 500 students participated in this year’s event at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Before college, Cody Natoni Sifford, Navajo, had never considered a degree — not to mention a career — in environmental science. It was actually his family who encouraged him to try out the environmental science program in college. Then from the moment he set foot in his first class, he knew he had made the right decision.

Growing up in Rough Rock, Ariz., Nizhoni Tallas, Navajo, spent a great deal of time exploring the outdoors. It was there, in her rural community, where she first became interested in the field of environmental science. “My brothers and I would hike the mesa and the canyon right in our backyard,” says Tallas. “I fell in love with the diversity of plants, rocks, and the smell of fresh air. From that point on, I knew I wanted to learn more about the environment and how I can protect it now and for future generations.”

The heart of Jeff Gregg’s work is vigilance. As a hazardous waste coordinator at the U.S. Coast Guard Base in Honolulu, he spends his days protecting water. Or as Gregg puts it, “We keep the black stuff out of the blue stuff.”

For as long as he can remember, the “blue stuff” has been a passion. “There was always something about the water, especially the ocean,” he says. “As a young boy, I discovered Jacques Cousteau and would watch the episodes over and over. I wanted to be Jacques Cousteau.”

During her senior year as an undergraduate at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (SDSM&T), a spark ignited for Kimberlynn Dawn Cameron. “A class in sustainable engineering showed me where I wanted to go with my career,” she says. “Now I’m a graduate student enrolled in a dual master’s program at SDSM&T. Starting in January 2018, I’ll be attending Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability in the Executive Master for Sustainability Leadership program.”

Growing up near the ocean mostly in Vallejo, Calif., Amber Finley was fascinated by aquatic life. That love for the sea quickly transformed into a passion for STEM. As early as junior high, math and science became Finley’s focus at school — and her curiosity about biology was strongly encouraged by the adults around her.

“I had many teachers who supported my interest in math and science,” she says. “And my parents always wanted me to do well and supported my academic endeavors.”