Class of 2026: How Forrest Richard changed everything by going back to school (and writing a novel)

This June, Forrest Richard is graduating from NAIT with more than one notable piece of paper.

One of these is what you’d expect: his parchment for Conservation Biology, a program for those with a passion for studying and preserving Canada’s natural spaces.

The other may be a surprise. In addition to loving the outdoors, Richard loves writing. In November, the 2026 grad published his first novel, part one of the Ver’Nova series. It's a dystopian fantasy with ecological undertones, and its main character, Joel, is a forest technologist who’s given the chance to change his life while helping to steer a world away from ruin.

Not to try to draw parallels between fiction and fact, but in his late-20s Richard got the chance to change his life, too. After pivoting from a previous career, he enrolled at NAIT to pursue a path aligned with his own appreciation of our environment. Ver’Nova loosely draws from that decision, he says, in that it’s about “someone finding their place in the world.”

The book also benefits directly from Richard’s program, applying earthly biological constants to an alien world, but that's where the comparisons should probably stop. Joel, while compelling, is not a happy person. Richard is contemplative and pleasant. Also, Joel (minor spoiler alert) has hidden superpowers. Richard, of course, does not.

Or maybe that’s debatable. He did finish the almost superhuman task of publishing book one, writing book two and starting on three – all while finishing his courses and landing a job in his beloved new profession.

From keeping the peace to finding it

For roughly seven years, Richard was a peace officer. He worked in local hospitals, served in animal control, and did a stint patrolling parks. Overall, it struck him as a practical way to start making a living after high school.

“I met a lot of good people,” says Richard. “But there were also so many bad moments.”

For instance, during the initial stages of the COVID pandemic he spent his time in health-care facilities during the challenges of COVID. Later, Richard struggled with seeing animals impounded. 

While he liked being helpful, “I just wanted to do something that appealed to me – which is helping our environment.”

That is, Richard wanted to be true to himself. His relationship with the outdoors started with his dad, a biologist with Ducks Unlimited for three decades. He got Richard and his two brothers into activities like hunting and 4H. The experiences planted a seed his son would eventually feel driven to nurture.

Writing asserted itself in a similar way, starting in earnest during Richard’s time as a peace officer. 

He discovered his knack for storytelling as a dungeon master during Dungeons and Dragons sessions with childhood friends. When he formalized writing into a hobby, he drew inspiration from the likes of Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time) and other sci-fi and fantasy authors.

Tired of doomscrolling away his days between shifts, Richard started tentatively tapping out the story that would become Ver’Nova. 

Soon enough, he could produce a whole chapter in a single sitting, a habit that extended to downtime between NAIT classes and assignments.

“It snowballed,” says Richard. “I just started writing the whole book. And it felt good.”

Following muddy footprints

Richard self-published Ver’Nova: Evergreen Sunlight – Part 1 in November 2025 with the help of a local press. He went so far as to design the cover himself, too (it’s tattooed on his forearm, a job he wisely outsourced).

As he was finishing the book at NAIT, his program crept into the telling, particularly in sections that focus on a biologist’s search for sentient life on an unexplored planet. Classroom lessons on anatomy, soils and even invertebrates found a place in Ver’Nova, endowing fiction with a realism that speaks to Richard’s enthusiasm for nature and his new career.

“He genuinely seemed interested and wanted to learn more,” says instructor Debbie Webb (Biological Sciences Technology – Environmental Sciences ’82), who taught Richard field studies and entomology. He appreciated the challenges of the coursework and labs, she adds, and “handed everything in and was there for every class.”

When she learned from a story in the Nugget, NAIT’s student newspaper, about the release of Richard’s book, Webb was all the more impressed. “To run down to the library in between classes and [write]? Holy moly. Who does that?”

While book one has been well received, Richard isn’t quitting his day job. After all, he just got it.

Since graduating, he’s started as a technologist with Ducks Unlimited, following in the muddy footprints of his dad’s neoprene boots. Richard spends his days checking on the impact and quality of water control structures such as beaver dams and culverts in the organization's wetlands throughout Alberta, and doing other environmental assessments.

He hopes the seasonal position will turn permanent. If not, he’s confident he'll find similar fieldwork elsewhere. “Definitely no regrets about making the career change,” he says.

As for writing, Richard keeps a prolific pace. His sights are set on the fourth and final Ver’Nova book, and beyond. “I already know what I want to write after this series,” he says.

Until then, whether he’s out among the waterfowl – which he can now easily identify thanks to ornithology class – or sitting in front of his keyboard, Richard feels that he has found his place. For him, the story is just beginning.