![\"Ana](\"https:\/\/cnr.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/04\/04232026_GraduateResearchSymposium_provided_featured.png\")
<\/a>What experiences had the biggest impact on you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Some of the experiences that had the biggest impact on me happened during fieldwork and conversations with people in very different roles, from local communities to stakeholders involved in designing and implementing environmental policies and initiatives. These experiences reminded me that many of the most important questions in forestry are also social questions. They shaped how I think about research and made me more informed of the importance of listening, building trust and grounding research in local realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, my university experiences also had a big impact on me. The program pushed me to think across disciplines, improve my qualitative and quantitative research skills and communicate my work more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teaching, presenting at conferences and being part of student organizations all helped me grow beyond the classroom, enriching and making my experience at NC State meaningful. I am very grateful for the mentors, peers and opportunities that shaped this journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One especially meaningful experience was the opportunity to work on a project with private forest landowners in the southern U.S. Through that work, I learned more about the region’s forests and better understood how landowners think about their forests in terms of values, stewardship, long-term planning and the future of their land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of the project, I supported the design and implementation of surveys and studied how the pandemic shaped long-term forest planning and decision-making. The experience was especially meaningful because it challenged me to think about forests in a very different context from the ones I had worked in before, while still asking questions about uncertainty, values and how people make decisions about the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Working on this project was also valuable because it helped me grow in new ways as a researcher. I became more involved in survey design, data analysis and methodological questions, and I gained a deeper appreciation for how much care it takes to produce research that is rigorous and relevant. That project expanded my perspective and reminded me that even across very different places, decisions about forests are closely tied to people\u2019s experiences, priorities and long-term plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several mentors and professors influenced my journey, especially my advisors, Erin Sills and Rajan Parajuli. Their work on international forestry, conservation, policy and decision-making across diverse contexts strongly shaped the research I wanted to pursue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Their mentorship helped me grow as a researcher and showed me the value of rigorous, collaborative work connected to real-world challenges. Dr. Sills played an especially important role in my path because I completed both my master\u2019s and doctoral work under her supervision. She supported me from the very beginning, helped me access the resources and opportunities that allowed me to pursue my master\u2019s degree and encouraged me to keep growing as a researcher over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fred Cubbage also had a special influence on my path. The first time I heard about NC State was through my undergraduate advisor in Paraguay, who told me the university had a strong program in forest economics and policy. As I started looking into the faculty, I came across Dr. Cubbage\u2019s work. A few years earlier, I had used one of his books as a primary source for my undergraduate thesis, a book that Greg Frey, who later became one of my committee members, had also co-authored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At that time, I never imagined that I would one day meet them, study at NC State and even collaborate on research and publications. Dr. Cubbage\u2019s work on global timber investment and plantation forestry made a strong impression on me early on, and later, having the opportunity to work with him made that part of my journey especially meaningful and full circle. I am also very grateful to Dr. Frey for his support and for being part of my journey at NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is seeing my research recognized through awards at the 2024 Appalachian Society of American Foresters Annual Meeting in Roanoke, Virginia and the 2024 International Union of Forest Research Organizations World Congress in Stockholm, Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was very meaningful and rewarding to represent the College of Natural Resources in those spaces and to share work that reflects questions I care deeply about. These experiences reminded me that research can extend far beyond the classroom, creating opportunities for connections, conversations and impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More personally, I am proud of how much I have grown throughout the program. Completing both my master\u2019s degree and Ph.D. at NC State taught me not only how to conduct stronger research but also how to communicate, collaborate and keep moving forward in the face of uncertainty. Earning both degrees means a great deal to me because it reflects years of learning, persistence and support from many people along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My advice would be to stay curious and open to learning, work hard and allow yourself to grow through the process. You do not need a perfect plan to start. What matters is caring about your work and following the questions that genuinely interest you in an environment where you can explore them with supportive mentors. Over time, you will build knowledge and transferable skills such as communication, collaboration and resourcefulness. It also helps you better understand the kind of work and environment that fits you best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would also encourage students to make the most of the people and opportunities around them. Build relationships with mentors and peers, stay open to new experiences and do not be afraid to challenge yourself by putting yourself out there, whether that means submitting an abstract to a conference or applying for a competitive fellowship. Some of the most valuable growth comes from collaboration and conversations through experiences that push you to see things in a new way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as important, protect your work-life balance, ask for help when you need it and make use of the resources the university offers. Graduate school can be demanding, and having support matters. The people around you, the mentors you trust and the opportunities you say yes to can shape your journey in important ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally from Asunci\u00f3n, Paraguay, Cubas-Baez earned a degree in forestry engineering from Universidad Nacional de Asunci\u00f3n and began her career with an environmental nongovernmental organization, working with rural and Indigenous communities on forest-based climate change mitigation initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cubas-Baez enrolled at North Carolina State University as a Fulbright Scholar in 2020 to earn a master\u2019s degree in natural resources in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources. After completing that degree, she continued her studies in the department as a Ph.D. student. under the direction of Rajan Parajuli and Erin Sills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of her dissertation, Cubas-Baez's work focused on forest governance, conservation and climate change, from studying how rural households in the Peruvian Amazon experience forest-based climate change mitigation initiatives to examining private forest landowner decision-making in the southern United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cubas-Baez was named a member of the KIETS Climate Leaders Program in 2024 and completed an international research internship with the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry and the Rights and Resources Initiative, gaining global experience in forestry and resource governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On campus, Cubas-Baez served in several student leadership roles, including president of the NC State Fulbright Student Association and secretary of the Latin American Student Association. She was also an active member of the International Society of Tropical Foresters and volunteered with the Office of International Services to support new international students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cubas-Baez plans to continue building a career focused on forests, conservation, sustainable natural resource management and climate policy after graduation. \"Whether in academia, a research institute or an international organization, I want to keep contributing to work that brings together science, policy and collaboration across communities and countries,\" she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the following Q&A, Cubas-Baez reflects on her academic journey from master\u2019s student to Ph.D. candidate, her research on forest governance, conservation and climate change, and the experiences, mentorship and leadership opportunities that shaped her time at NC State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I grew up surrounded by forests, and from an early age, I felt a strong connection to nature and a deep desire to protect the natural world. That connection is what first led me to study forestry engineering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During my undergraduate studies and later, while working for an environmental nongovernmental organization, I began to see that many forestry challenges were more than technical matters. They were also about people, policies and complex socio-environmental dynamics. I saw that projects that looked strong on paper did not always work the same way on the ground. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That experience inspired me to ask deeper questions about who benefits from conservation initiatives, who participates in decision-making and why decisions about forests differ across contexts. The college gave me the space and tools to explore those questions more systematically through interdisciplinary, collaborative training and research that helped me build skills in research design, qualitative and quantitative methods, data analysis and policy-relevant research. Over time, my interests have expanded into a stronger focus on environmental governance, climate change mitigation and decision-making in forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While exploring graduate programs and universities, I remember reflecting on the kind of research I wanted to pursue. I knew I wanted to better understand the relationship between forests, people and policy, especially in real-world conservation contexts. I wanted training that included forest economics and policy as well as social sciences. The Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources offered the resources and flexibility I needed to pursue my research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another important factor was mentorship. I was looking for advisors whose work focused on international forestry, conservation and policy and who addressed real-world problems through collaborative, interdisciplinary research. That combination was very important to me because my interests were grounded in theoretical questions and in real-world environmental challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also really value that the program allowed me to connect local and global contexts, from forest landowners in the southern U.S. to stakeholders working on forest-based climate initiatives in the Global South. This connection has expanded my perspective on how to better think about and approach research, considering different social, political and environmental contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the experiences that had the biggest impact on me happened during fieldwork and conversations with people in very different roles, from local communities to stakeholders involved in designing and implementing environmental policies and initiatives. These experiences reminded me that many of the most important questions in forestry are also social questions. They shaped how I think about research and made me more informed of the importance of listening, building trust and grounding research in local realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, my university experiences also had a big impact on me. The program pushed me to think across disciplines, improve my qualitative and quantitative research skills and communicate my work more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>Which class, project or research experience was most meaningful?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Were there mentors or peers who shaped your journey?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What accomplishment are you most proud of?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>What advice would you give to students?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n
Ana Cubas-Baez is graduating with a Ph.D. in forestry and environmental resources and will serve as one of two College of Natural Resources students selected to deliver remarks at the spring 2026 commencement ceremony Friday, May 8. She will address the college's graduate students.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat inspired your interest in forestry, and how has it evolved?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What made NC State a good fit for you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>What experiences had the biggest impact on you?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n