Throughout her high school experience at Santa Fe Preparatory School, Kristina Fisher was always engaged in outdoor activities and environmental issues. An AP Biology class and the school’s Teen Action Program helped her get involved in hands-on community environmental action, like monitoring the water quality of the Santa Fe River. In 1998, she graduated as Valedictorian of her class, and, with the help of a LAESF Bronze Scholarship ($1,000 for one year), she attended Williams College in pursuit of a career in environmental studies.

“Scholarships really helped me get through college without a lot of debt,” said Kristina, “which was important since it allowed me to take on a public service job that may not be financially lucrative.” She feels that receiving the local LAESF Scholarship helped her to leverage other awards. During her time in college, Kristina received two prestigious national scholarships: the Harry S. Truman Scholarship in Leadership and Public Service, and the Morris K. Udall Scholarship in Environmental Studies.

Kristina spent a semester of her junior year completing sustainable forestry field work in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia, and the following summer, she began working as an intern at Think New Mexico, a results-oriented think tank that strives to address serious problems in the state and develop sustainable solutions that improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans.

In 2002 after graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B. A. in political science and environmental studies from Williams College, Kristina spent the summer serving as an intern for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C. Her work focused on creating policy and developing criteria and indicators to determine forest sustainability.

“It was good for me to get away for college and gain some perspective,” Kristina said, “but it was even better to come home. That was always the plan.” That fall, she returned to Think New Mexico as the organization’s Research Director. In that capacity, she conducted the comprehensive research underlying the organization’s policy initiatives and helped to write policy reports and accompanying materials. Kristina focused in particular on developing policy in support of the Strategic River Reserve, a project that resulted in the creation of a pool of publicly owned water rights to help the state avert a variety of environmental crises and to protect the live, flowing rivers in New Mexico.

In 2006, as an extension of her personal and professional interests, Kristina returned to school to pursue a J.D. (juris doctorate) in Natural Resources and Environmental Law from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Throughout her studies in Albuquerque, she served as the Student Editor-in-Chief of the school’s Natural Resources Journal, an internationally recognized quarterly publication devoted to the multidisciplinary study of natural resource issues, and continued to work part-time for Think New Mexico.

“With the help of scholarships, including the LANL Foundation award, Kristina graduated from college and law school without a mountain of debt, which is what makes it possible for her to work for a non-profit like Think New Mexico with our relatively modest salary structure,” said Fred Nathan, Founder and Executive Director of Think New Mexico. “The citizens of New Mexico are the real winners when outstanding students like Kristina remain in the state as well as in public service positions.”

There’s no sign of Kristina slowing down any time soon. After graduating first in her class from law school in May of 2008, she is planning to take the New Mexico Bar Exam and then return to Think New Mexico, this time as Associate Director, where she will carry on her commitment to public service and contributions to New Mexico’s social and public policy. You may run into her at the legislature – or while camping or hiking around Northern New Mexico.