Global Campus Coug Uses Environmental Science Degree to Bolster STEM Career

For many, earning a degree can be a doorway to beginning in a new career field. But, for some, it can be a way to take an established career to an even higher level.

This was the case for David Schiessel, who used the degree he earned fully online through WSU Global Campus as a steppingstone to further success as an analytical chemist and environmental researcher.

A Calling

“It was in July 2002 that I found my calling in the environmental analytical testing field and was hired without a degree,” said Schiessel. “I call my career a ‘calling’ because I never chose it. It chose me.”

According to Schiessel, he had a fascination with this field from a young age.

“My deep passion for analytical chemistry was fulfilled by the prospect of doing some legitimate good for public health and the environment in an air testing lab in Carson, Calif.,” he said. “It was there that my career was born.”

Schiessel was hired with only part of his chemistry undergraduate degree completed at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

For almost two decades, Schiessel dove enthusiastically into his work, becoming more experienced as an analytical chemist and learning to operate advanced instrumentation. Over time, he began to make a name for himself as an innovative researcher in the field.

“I developed methods for detecting trace contaminants in the environment and presented those methods at scientific conferences via oral and poster presentations,” he said.

It was in front of one of those posters that Schiessel’s life would take a turn toward WSU Global Campus.

Going Back to School

“My Coug story goes back to 2019 when a mentor of mine encouraged me to return to school to finish my undergraduate degree,” said Schiessel. “Lily Sanchez, a mentor of mine who worked at the Orange County Water District, talked to me one day at an event when I was giving a presentation.”

Over the course of the conversation, Sanchez convinced Schiessel that going back to college and getting his degree was the best move to foster his career, as well as his passion for environmental research.

“She made me promise her that I would go back to college, not because I needed another accomplishment, but because she knew it would be a growth opportunity for me,” he said.

Schiessel immediately began looking for the right opportunity to re-enter higher education.

Finding the Right Fit

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Schiessel began considering going to school online, as this seemed like a widely growing option. It was then that WSU Global Campus came across his radar.

“Global Campus seemed ahead of the curve when it came to online learning, and the environmental science program really caught my eye,” he said.

“I wanted that program because it was one of a few of programs in the country that offered a fully online Bachelor of Science in a field that was very applicable to my career. I was very picky in this regard.”

In 2021, Schiessel made the leap and applied for the program. He was accepted, and his previous credits applied.

Juggling School and Life

“When I started my first semester in the summer of 2021, my life had changed quite a bit, because now I was married and had a 5-year-old,” said Schiessel.

“One of the great things about the WSU Global Campus was the flexibility to balance work, life, and school,” he said. “So, I worked my full-time job as usual and was able to have family time as usual. Once they all went to bed, school was in session and I hit the gas. I was not about to waste this second chance.”

Schiessel found that his “second chance” had an even greater effect on his career and knowledge base than he had anticipated.

“All the classes I took were highly applicable to my field,” he said. “I could highlight quite a few classes that I feel were very special and impactful to me.”

Schiessel said that even his non-science courses had a positive impact on him, holding up Roots of Contemporary Issues, a history class, as a shining example.

“I was able to apply the concepts I learned in that course to study the historical roots of a special class of environmental contaminants called forever chemicals,” he said. “I think this is also where I really grasped how to research with primary and secondary sources and how to structure a well-made thesis.”

His General Ecology class also stood out to him.

“This course opened my eyes to the grander picture of why environmental testing is done,” he said. “There are some contaminants that can cause cascade effects through ecosystems and so it caused me to view my job not as an analytical chemist, but as one verifying safe environments.”

Taking His Career Further

In 2023, Schiessel graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Science, earning Summa Cum Laude honors.

He currently works in Riverside, California as a Principal Chemist at Babcock Laboratories, Inc. Schiessel credits his experience at WSU with taking his career to the next level.

“Without my experience at WSU Global I don’t think my skills would be as refined as a chemist and as a researcher,” he said. “Most likely I would not have been able to subsequently publish original research in my field as a primary author. This had been one of my aspirations prior to going back to school.”

Since graduating in 2023, Schiessel has co-authored multiple scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals and given multiple oral presentations on the topic of environmental analysis, including a keynote address in 2025 at the National Environmental Monitoring Conference.

His research has included managing the data for the largest non-targeted analysis study conducted by the California State Water Boards, highlighting routine use of High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry. And he currently serves as the Chair for a national non-profit called Best-Practices for Non-Targeted Analysis (BP4NTA).

“I’m very grateful for my time at WSU Global Campus and how it helped me get to where I am today,” he said. “If you get the ability to have the ‘second chance’ that I did to learn about what you are passionate about, I highly recommend that you embrace that opportunity.”

About the Author

Jeff Willadsen is the Digital Content and Communication Coordinator for WSU Global Campus. Before being hired at WSU in 2018, he worked as a photojournalist and public affairs specialist in the U.S. Navy. He earned his master’s in strategic communication online through WSU Global Campus while still serving on active duty in the Navy.