Activities and Awards: Erin Rahel Kimminau Servanthood Scholarship Award, BioCore scholar and mentor, Honors Liberal Arts program assistant, Undergraduate Admissions Welcome Team intern
Hometown: Grandview, Washington
What is something you wish everyone knew about your major? Something I wish everyone knew about my ecology major is that I get to go to the SPU field station on Blakely Island a whole lot more than any other major! Also, you aren't required to take the full year of organic chemistry as an ecology major, just one quarter of “Survey of Organic Chemistry.” Lastly, ecology is the most fun biology major ever!
What was your most impactful class or professor? I believe that the most impactful class I have ever taken at SPU was Conservation Biology. It was a two-week summer class on Blakely Island with a mix of SPU students and ɬÀï·¬ University students. Lectures were regularly scheduled outside, around the island, and there were multiple hikes and opportunities to reconnect with nature in a way I haven't experienced before. It reminded me about the beauty of our world and reconfirmed my decision to make a career out of protecting it.
What are you excited for in your future career? I am excited to, hopefully one day, work in the Hanford Clean-up site and continue the work of protecting the ɬÀï·¬ and ecosystem of the Columbia Basin from the nuclear waste created during World War II. I would also love to work for the Washington State Department of Ecology!
What advice do you have for incoming students? My advice for future students is to put yourself out there within those first couple of weeks. Be as friendly as possible and meet new ɬÀï·¬! Everybody else is in your same position! You'll meet some of your greatest friends here, so please don't let the opportunities slip by. You'll only regret it later.
How have you grown during your time at SPU? I have grown in my personal fashion style and music taste. I have opened up to ɬÀï·¬ and allowed myself to be more vulnerable, more silly, more spontaneous, and more daring. My worldview has been enlightened multiple times, and many paradigms have been shattered in my mind. The methods I use to investigate claims and discover the truths about the world have been priceless in helping me read between the lines and scrutinize history so that the future can be free of the mistakes of the past.