Class Year: 2027
Cohort: Environmental Stewardship
Organization you serve: Otsego County Conservation Association

About me

Hi, I’m Taline Almasian. I’m from Massena, NY, and I am currently entering the second year of my Lake Management Masters program at SUNY Oneonta. My thesis focuses on management strategies for Weiden Lake in Narrowsburg, NY, with an emphasis on the aquatic plant life, macroinvertebrate diversity, and limnological changes within the system.

Why I serve

My high school and undergraduate careers inspired me to join the Empire State Service program. My high school motto was “not to be served but to serve” and by engaging with their community service events I was able to not only gain personal fulfillment from those tasks but also improve my leadership and communication skills. My college motto was “to live a life of consequence”. Building from my high school foundation of serving others, living a life of consequence expanded my understanding of service, advocacy, and creating a positive impact. In exploring my interests of the environmental sciences, I was able to explore what service looked like in outdoor environments. With the Empire State Service Corps, I am able to continue that exploration and work to advocate for both the environment, and the people who seek to enjoy our shared natural resources.

Fun Fact

I love working with benthic macroinvertebrates and learning about their specialized structures within their freshwater stream environments.