Why I Chose To Study

Discuss your reasons for pursuing the Major/Academic Programs selected above? I have loved the outdoors my whole life. I grew up playing in the dirt, climbing trees, splashing in creeks, and learning to love this amazing planet. However, I never considered pursuing environmental science or studies as a career until this past summer, when I began working at a Camp Grimes, a boy scout summer camp in Nebo, North carolina. Nestled in the mountains, with two beautiful lakes, acres of forests, and dozens of campsites and recreational areas, it was the perfect setting for a summer that changed my life. As a merit badge counselor in the ecology area, I taught classes including landscape architecture, animal studies, forestry, and environmental science.

Please describe how you could contribute to or benefit from campus diversity.

I love to talk to people, especially the type of engaging, intelligent, and diverse people I know I can find at NC State. Debating, participating in socratic seminars, group brainstorming, and thinking out loud with others help me to learn, and open my mind to solutions and beliefs I would not have considered. I believe that I could both contribute to, and benefit from campus diversity because of my passion for sharing my ideas, talking about anything from agriculture to current events to space travel, listening to new and different perspectives, learning about other’s cultures, passions, and interests, and creating safe spaces for collaborative creative discussion. I am passionate about every individual’s right to express who they are, and what they believe. It amazes me that of the 7.4 billion people on this Earth, every single one of them has a different experience, a different perspective, and an entirely unique story that is rich and complex. At NC State, there are over 30,000 stories to hear. Over 30,000 narratives that collide. The possibilities for discussion, collaboration, and innovation are limitless, and I believe that as a part of the pack I could not only benefit from these opportunities, but help my peers to recognize the doors that diversity opens and encourage them to make it an active part of their