Why I chose a major in Environmental Geoscience

http://winona.mndakcirclek.org

I have one more year at WSU and I still have a lot left to learn before graduation. As an Environmental Geoscience major, my field of study was quite broad until recently. I love chemistry, biology, hydrology, watershed science, field and analytical methods, and other classes for my minors in Global Studies and Sustainability (undeclared). After almost four years at Winona State University, I can honestly say that I cannot wait to obtain a career in the science field. I love learning about the environment, how to research and ask questions. I have learned how to take good field notes, what to measure in the field and useful mapping program such as ArcGIS. It is amazing how much I have learned in a relatively short period of time. My short term goals include doing my best in my classes and learning as much as I can this summer while working at the Water Resource Center (WRC).

One of my personal goals is to eventually be more independent and dependable when it comes to stream restoration. As a future scientist, I would like to work efficiently and maybe even help teach to others how to restore streams, check water quality, and understand hydrological geomorphology. I want to have a firm understanding so I do not waste time and money by making mistakes. I hope to work on fulfilling this goal during the summer as I have an internship with the WRC and Trout Unlimited here in Winona. We will be surveying Garvin Brook for the MN DNR and in the years to come other students will work to help restore the stream to a healthier state, especially for the trout populations. With this internship and a month long field camp in Montana through Indiana University, I hope to gain even more hands on experience this summer so I can become a great scientist. I want to create solutions not problems and in order for this to be true, I must equip and challenge myself so I am proficient. I want to be prepared to face the job market after undergraduate school or even to face the challenge of graduate school in the near future.

Spring International Orientation

A career goal is hard to choose at this point, but I have narrowed it down to two main goals. I have been an International Orientation leader since my freshman year at WSU and have been heavily involved with our International students here on campus. These include being the PR and secretary for the International Club and co-leading the International Bible study. I have been in charge of the club's annual International Dinner for the past two years, which taught me a lot about organization, management, and so much more. I have also traveled to Taiwan and Thailand to visit friends from each beautiful country. This was not always a dream of mine, but after coming to Winona State, I have had a growing passion for environmental concerns on a global scale. In the future, I would really love to work in another country to help preserve or conserve our precious natural resources. My main focus right now is water. It is such a crucial part of sustaining life and whether I enter an occupation that concerns water availability or water quality, I know that I will still make an impact on the lives of others. I have donated to the building of wells in Africa, but it would mean so much more to me to actually be a part of the construction process. If not finding out where to best drill a well, then possibly testing water quality and creating resolutions to fix the pollution problems. Waterborne diseases are so prevalent in developing countries and it is rather easy to prevent. I view this goal as the more challenging, but most fulfilling of the two.

In a race to set up our tents.

My second goal would be to simply stay in the States and use my capabilities here where it is also needed. I would love to have a career that has moderate variability so I could continue learning, but I also love teaching and helping others to learn and develop their skills. I have volunteered and worked with kids in the past few years teaching them about nature, survival skills out in the wild, first aid as well as how to fish, canoe, and kayak. Some of this has been done through Winona County's Project GO (Get Outdoors) after school program for kids. I have also been a Regional Science and Engineering Science Fair Judge for the last three years. It has been so encouraging to see how much students retain and how their curiosity sparks a desire to explore the possibilities and experiment to find results. I love to urge these grade school students to stretch their minds and challenge themselves by adding more tests, finding answers to harder questions and other ways to improve for future projects. A few years ago, I saw myself as a park naturalist and although I have not totally ruled this option out, I can see now that I would love to spread awareness about the environment and provide education to farmers, students, businesses, and etcetera. This could include being an environmental consultant for impact assessments, flooding events, or contamination issues. As a scientist, I desire to help create a safer and healthier environment for future generations to live sustainably.

The following pictures are taken from when I taught the Survival class at Grindstone Lake Bible Camp, which I did for about 3 summers. Here we were learning about different types of forts, safe things to eat, how to...
tell direction, tell a poisonous plant from another, build traps, fish, as well as how to complete simple first aid. I have great memories from these experiences and really enjoyed teaching the class as well as being the camp nurse for 4 years.