Dr. Heather Finch Named Inaugural Fellow in U.S. Forest Department’s FORSEE Fellowship

Fellowship to dive into environmental education abroad with trips to four continents

While the last few weeks before the beginning of a new school year is a hectic, dizzying time for all educators, Dr. Heather Finch, assistant professor of English at Belmont, had an additional role to prepare for. Finch was selected as one of six faculty members nationwide for the inaugural FORSEE Fellowship, a program implemented by the U.S. Forest Service and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Diversity, Equity Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) office. 

The year-long fellowship was designed to send Finch and her colleagues to various international locations including Mexico City, Ghana and India. Its mission is to provide fellows with insights into land management abroad, engage with the individuals whose lives are dedicated to caring for the environment and pass their learnings onto their students back in the classroom. 

“If we had to choose one focus, it would be to make sure we understand the environmental experiences of humans around the world,” said Finch. “We want to hear their stories around their career work or community advocacy, whichever it may be. We depend on this earth and what it offers us, and we want to hear the stories of those who care for it.” 

The FORESEE Fellowship emphasizes DEIA in two keys ways with its approach. 

The first is through its professional development courses offered to fellows. These courses foster skills that emphasize awareness and understanding of different studies of compassionate listening and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s principles of nonviolence. 

The second is through the variety of departmental expertise within the cohort featuring English, sociology, wildlife management, economics and botany. The strengths of each fellow complement one another, resulting in the group not only learning from the locals, but from one another. 

Fellows are primarily responsible for the creation of a podcast series detailing their findings. Finch and her partner will produce episodes focused on resilience and gender equity in environmental conservation. The first episode is slated for a Sept. release. 

"We're not just observers," she explained. "We're here to listen, learn and share stories from around the world. Our goal is to understand how different communities approach environmental stewardship and share those insights globally." 

Finch’s journey began in Atlanta this past June where she participated in urban farming initiatives and discussed the importance of tree canopies in urban environments. She also visited the former practice grounds of the Atlanta Black Crackers, the city’s Negro League baseball team in the 1920s and 1930s, to further explore the intersection between urban preservation and cultural heritage. 

As a result of her fellowship, Finch is already exploring additional opportunities at Belmont. She's integrating her experiences into her curriculum and plans to invite guest speakers from USAID and the U.S. Forest Service to her classes, particularly her course on trauma studies and resilience. 

“I want my students to see learning is a lifelong journey,” she said. “I want to show them that I, too, am serious about being a lifelong learner and so are their other professors. It’s important that I am still growing because it impacts how I connect with them, and the world is always evolving whether we like it or not. We need evolve with it.” 

Looking ahead to integrating her fellowship into her work at Belmont, Finch is exploring potential study abroad opportunities inspired by her fellowship experience. She hopes to develop programs on campus that will allow students to directly engage with the global communities and initiatives she encounters. 

As Finch and her colleagues travel the world, they are not just witnessing global environmental efforts – they're becoming part of a larger narrative of international collaboration and sustainable development.