Meet Giacomo Fagan

Giacomo Fagan is a senior double majoring in Forest Management and Agricultural Business Management. We sat down with him to talk about his experience in the Forestry and Environmental Resources CONNECT program, a pathway for students from high school to college.

Tell us about yourself. What should people know about you?

I am from Charlotte, NC. I would say I am an outgoing, talkative person with a lot of questions. Also while at NC State, I studied abroad in Sweden and had a research internship in Brazil. I also helped NC State become Tree Campus USA certified with Dr. Jeffries. I also served on a “trees on campus” board that made decisions about trees on campus.  

How did you choose your major and why are you passionate about it?

I kind of fell into my major after deferring away from engineering. I was originally going to graduate with a Fish and Wildlife degree but a Forestry degree opened more doors for me. 

What impact has being in the CONNECT program had on your life?

The CONNECT program was great. It was a very nice transition into college. One year of living at home and working a part-time job. I was able to pay for my education that year and afford a summer vacation to Ireland. Also without the CONNECT program, none of the things I did at NC State would have been possible. Definitely from a young age I was indoctrinated with NC State as my father went to school here. The CONNECT program made NC State, a longtime dream, a reality. I wouldn’t take back that extra year for an immediate acceptance to any college.

What has been your favorite class at NC State?

I couldn’t pick one favorite class in particular but I can say, I loved my classes in forestry management; they were small and personal. Getting to know everyone by living with them for 9 weeks at the Hill Forest is also something I will never forget. I also enjoyed living on campus and by having classes on North Campus, I meet a lot of great people and friends from all walks of majors.

Tell us about your involvement on campus.

I was invested in 3 different clubs while at NC State.

Forestry club: Got to compete in and represent NC State at timbersport competitions against other schools in the southeast. I participated in events like crosscut, bow saw, axe throw, knife throw, pole climbing, chain throw, log roll and more. In the forestry club, we also brushed up on our technical skills like Dendro, wood ID, DBH estimation, timber estimation, wildlife ID and more. Because of these events, I got to travel to Blacksburg, VA, Baton Rouge, LA, and Nashville, TN.

National parks club: This club was amazing. We took canoe trips, hikes and camping trips. Great way to explore the local state parks and national forests such as Lake Jordan, Umstead and ones further away like Nantahala National Forest and Shenandoah National Park.

Society of American Foresters (SAF): I served for SAF as Vice President and club representative. In this club, I got to attend many local and national conventions where I was exposed to the forestry workforce for the first time. It was a great way to do some networking and a good place to find a job or a summer internship. Locally I got to travel to Wilmington, NC and Norfolk, VA. For the national convention, we flew into Portland OR, and took a wilderness week where we hiked in Olympic National Park, WA.

What are your post-college plans?  

Right now I am hoping for a job in Atlanta but with the Coronavirus outbreak, I am thinking about a few more years of school and getting my graduate degree (hopefully somewhere in Europe).