JJ LaPlante

I grew up rural, love rural, and plan to settle somewhere rural one day. I've enjoyed the outdoors my whole life, and continue to cherish the weekends I can return to the trails. Family is important to me, as well as faith and worldview, since everything we think, say, or do stems from the foundation of our worldview. Truth is important to me, and I enjoy conversations about it. I like to be efficient, and if there is a way I can see to do something more effectively, I pursue it and change things as needed. People are important to me, since the only thing that's going to be remembered is how we treated others in the relationships we had. Everything else will fade away, but what we did for others will leave a lasting legacy. 

Professionally, I am drafting preliminary designs for bridge, culvert, and roadway projects at a civil engineering company in NC. It's a unique opportunity to have been in the DDCSP in college, and now work for an engineering company because I get to see first-hand the tensions and challenges between private industry and environmental agencies. Being part of the DDCSP was quite a rich and valuable experience for me to take to what many conservationists may feel like is 'the other side'. It's so important that private industry has people who value conservation because they can be much more understanding with environmental agencies than someone who hasn't had this experience. Through the DDCSP, I received many once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and am grateful to have met so many fun, passionate, and driven people who care about conservation. Keep up the passionate work everybody, and don't be shy to reach out if you're in the Raleigh, NC area!