Student Spotlight - Dulles Hanula
Dulles Hanula is finishing up his second year in the UC Davis EPM program, specializing in Sustainable Agriculture and Water Resources Management. He grew up in Pasadena, California before heading to New York to attend Fordham University, where he studied Political Science and International Political Economy with a minor in Environmental Studies. After working in different politically adjacent jobs like public relations and campaigning, he wanted to pivot his career to incorporate outside interests to become a more well-rounded professional. In his time at Davis, he has expanded his technical skills while getting involved in new things outside of academics. When he isn’t in the classroom, he spends his time gardening, playing soccer, hiking and enjoying the outdoors.
Why did you choose to pursue your master’s degree at UC Davis?
As someone who has been deeply interested in agriculture for most of my life, whether a home garden or macroeconomic agriculture policy, I saw an opportunity to become a more complete professional by applying to this master’s program. While I felt prepared to work in the professional world, it was difficult to see how I fit into some of the places I worked because I had not yet developed an expertise on any specific topic. At this point in the program, I feel significantly more confident about my technical skills, topic area expertise, and general ability to provide unique contributions to a workplace.
On top of that, UC Davis has the perfect balance of scientifically-focused perspectives on agriculture and water use efficiency while being only a stone's throw from the capitol where most policy decisions in California are made. So given my professional aspirations and what Davis offers, this was the perfect place to help take my career to the next level. It’s also been a great place to live!
What did you do for your Practicum? What were some major takeaways from your experience?
My practicum was an amazing experience because I got to work on a topic I'm deeply passionate about and was able to partner with another EPM student, Nico Naylor. We worked remotely with the Department of Conservation to compile an Excel spreadsheet of every California county’s agricultural mitigation protocols. Some places in the state require developers to replace farmland lost to other uses. They do this either by collecting fees from these developers, or mandating a replacement ratio of this land, like 1:1 in Yolo. Identifying which counties had these ratios, and to what extent, was the main goal of our project. This hopefully will provide the DOC with insight into what specific measures counties are taking to preserve farmland. We also turned our findings into a formal report that included policy recommendations for county governments and GIS maps of counties with ordinances.
In terms of things I took away from this Practicum, I am appreciative to have worked with a friend on such a great project, and to have learned a bit about what state work might be like. On a personal note, I really enjoyed having a more direct look at specific agricultural policy with the goal of making more informed decisions about future farmland conservation efforts in California.
You recently were the TA for ENV 202, what is your favorite part about that class? Do you have advice you would give to next year’s cohort who will take that class in the Fall quarter?
I really enjoyed how interactive and engaging the class was. I think both as a student and a TA, it was a really exciting class because you are guaranteed to have an interesting conversation with a classmate, or hear a unique story about the inner workings of Sacramento politics.
For future students, I think that leaning into the discussion is the best way to get the most out of the class. Whether it's asking questions early and often or simply sharing points of view on the current materials, there’s a lot to learn from your classmates' perspectives on the policy process, especially those who come from other political systems. This class is also every cohort’s first academic introduction to one another, so being engaged helps everyone get to know each other early on.
What is your favorite thing about UC Davis?
As someone who moved here from a big city, I really appreciate the community that the university creates, not to mention Davis being a nice change of pace in general. Besides the community, I have really embraced the philosophy that you get out what you put in, and I think that UC Davis and EPM facilitate that very well. The university has tons of opportunities to get involved in whatever hobby, activity or professional interest you might have, which I have appreciated coming from a smaller private university for undergrad.
Other than that, spring in Davis has been a special thing to experience, especially as someone whose California background has been the dry deserts of SoCal. Watching the patchwork of fruit trees and native plants explode into action every March has been a very welcomed change from New York’s ultra-quaffed urban parks and LA’s dry springs.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself
I'm an avid gardener and every season I like to try my hand at a plant I’ve never grown before. This year I’m trying garlic and so far it’s going really well! Garlic is hands-off because it can be planted in winter and pretty much left to do its thing. It's going to be rewarding to have some fresh garlic for next year, since it stores so well.