My name is Andrew Hansen III and I am an Army Veteran, originally from the Philadelphia, PA area. I’m an outdoorsman; my love of nature comes from my parents. My mother taught science in public schools for 25 years. My parents actually met at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s West Indies Lab, where they were both studying marine science.

I joined the Delaware State Parks Veterans Conservation Corps as a way to transition into the natural resource career field. The Delaware State Parks Veterans Conservation Corps has been an absolutely life-changing experience. Every day has been a new challenge and a new opportunity. One day you can be doing a carpentry project; repairing a boardwalk in the wetlands of the Indian River Bay. The next day you can be doing wildlife management; installing deer stands and assisting in a managed hunt in the Brandywine Valley.

The sheer knowledge of what you learn would fill volumes. Archeology, history, dendrology, botany, geology, ecology, invasive species management, trail building, carpentry, tree felling and arboriculture, dune structure and shoreline management…the list goes on.

The program has reinforced my desire to pursue a career in natural resources, and the Delaware State Parks Veterans Conservation Corps, has given me the foundational skill set to do so.