ALUMNI PROFILE BY MAEVE RYAN
ABBIE SCHUSTER ’08
Rubert, Abbie’s two-year-old rescue blue heeler lab from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, frequently accompanies her on fly-fishing trips
FLY-FISHING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF ABBIE SCHUSTER’S ’08 LIFE. Originally from Simsbury, Connecticut, Abbie grew up fly-fishing with her father, Rollin, on the Long Island Sound. She credits her dad for introducing her to Montana, where the two of them took a fishing trip during Abbie’s sophomore year in college. “I started at the University of Vermont, but decided to transfer to the University of Montana because I loved it so much. It’s just different out West,” Abbie says. Abbie now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is the women’s program director for Emerald Water Anglers (EWA), a full-service fly-fishing outfitter that offers individual instruction and group casting clinics. Abbie says she is proud to be working with EWA to make the generally male-dominated sport more accessible to women and to represent fly-fishing as one of the only female leaders in the industry. In addition to being on the EWA pro staff, Abbie is also a representative for Scott Fly Rods, a company that recently released a rod just for women. “It’s exciting to see the sport evolving in this way. Patagonia, Orvis, and a few other companies have developed women’s fly-fishing clothing lines. This is a step in the right direction,” says Abbie. While a senior at Suffield, Abbie took an environmental studies class with Steve Goodwin. “After taking Goody’s class, I knew that was what I was going to study for the next four years.” However, environmental studies wasn’t the only passion she picked up while at Suffield. “Hillary Cahn taught me photography which I use every day. I’d never even touched a camera before and now it’s such a huge part of my work.” Abbie’s photographs are currently used to promote Scott’s fly rods and the women’s casting clinics she teaches twice a month. She also hopes to get them into the Patagonia catalog someday. In addition to her work at EWA, Abbie volunteers her time at Casting for Recovery, an organization that caters to women living with breast cancer through fly-fishing retreats. Abbie leads clinics a few times a year and teaches women of all ages and levels to embrace the sport as a therapeutic way to connect with nature. “I’m creating this cool community of people,” she said. “It helps that I came from such a supportive community like Suffield. Being a part of Suffield taught me to be independent and have a creative mind.” Abbie reflected on her time at Suffield by noting it was pivotal in who she has become today. At the time of our talk, she was making plans to get together with a group of Suffield alums living nearby. “It’s great because even after moving all the way across the country, I always have this little net to fall back on,” she said. Suffield helped shape her passions in life and also allowed her to have the confidence to follow her dreams. Her advice to current Suffield students is to follow their intuition. “There were times when I fell down and was broke, but if you’re passionate about it, if you let it guide you, you’ll always find a way to make it work.” When asked what makes her most proud about being a Suffield alumna, Abbie says it’s the continued sense of community after graduation and the familiarity once you step back onto campus. Abbie has returned to campus a few times: for her sister’s graduation in 2011 and her five-year reunion in 2013. “The last time I was at Suffield, Charlie asked me how Seattle was. It’s just nice to know that the caring doesn’t end and the connection lasts forever. Whenever I go back, it feels like I never left.”
Winter / Spring 2015
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