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In 20 words or less, what is the best thing about being part of this department?
The professors – they are super kind and understanding!

What is your biggest piece of advice to first years and sophomores about getting connected to this department?
Just jump in and take your first CES class! Or if you can’t fit it into your schedule or you have questions, feel free to reach out to me or any of our wonderful professors for advice or recommendations!

What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned at K?
Throughout many of my classes, such as Island Time: Pacific Literature and Plant Communication and Kinship, I’ve been introduced to many worldviews which I hadn’t known about before. I think that this new knowledge, which has changed my own worldview, has been incredibly valuable. I have professors such as Cyndy Garcia-Weyandt to thank for sharing this knowledge.

What has been your favorite class at K?
I would have to say my sophomore seminar, which was Island Time: Pacific Literature with visiting professor Mika Kennedy! I was able to learn an incredible amount from this class on a topic I didn’t know a lot about beforehand. This is knowledge I still carry with me and apply today. I loved Mika’s teaching style. I feel lucky that I was able to take another class with her before she left.

How have you taken advantage of the open curriculum or experienced breadth in your education?
I think the place where I’ve most reached out beyond my major and minor have been English classes, which I really enjoy. Luckily, a few of these were accepted to be counted towards the CES major after I took them! I’m excited for my senior year, when I’m planning on branching out more as I have to worry about my major and minor credits less. I’m looking forward to taking Devotional Stuff in the fall, which is cross-listed as ARTX-235 and RELG-235.

What experiential education opportunities have you participated in?
I was very lucky to be able to go on study abroad in Athens, Greece last year!

What is your SIP?
While I don’t have it 100% planned out, I hope to do something surrounding Chinese mythology!

What are your career aspirations/next steps after K?
I hope to go to grad school for a masters in Library and Information Science. Then, I want to work in libraries and work on community programs to better serve the communities the libraries are placed in. I feel like as a preexisting pillar of the community, there’s a lot more that libraries can do for the communities surrounding them and I would love to help close that gap. In doing this, I can combine what I’ve learned from the CES department and my love of reading.

What is a random fun fact about you?
According to my mom, as a baby I crawled backwards for two months before I crawled forwards!