Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska

Major: Environmental Science 

Eco League School I attend: Alaska Pacific University

Eco League School I visited: Green Mountain College. I was interested in going to a bigger school in the lower 48 and fell in love with the pictures of Green Mountain College. 

Most dramatic difference between the two environments: Spring comes much sooner and is much warmer in Vermont than it is in Anchorage! Also, although Anchorage isn’t an enormous city, APU is located in the heart of it with modern buildings and large roads. At Green Mountain College you’re in a sweet small town in a remote location. The college buildings are old and beautiful and the area has a rich history.

Courses I took: Drawing the Human Form, Animal Behavior, Religious Beliefs and Atheism, Introduction to GIS.

Faculty Member I Particularly Enjoyed Working With: All staff and faculty made me feel welcome but Professor John Van Hoesen (GIS) and Professor Richard Weinstein (Art) helped me find and shape some interests that I am still passionate about today.  I was required to take GIS for my Environmental Science major.  The way Dr. Van Hoesen taught the course really sparked me about the process - so much so that I went from not really knowing what GIS is to deciding to pursue graduate studies in map making and environmental management.
     The drawing class was my first college level art class. Not having the intense art background as many of the other students I was pretty uncomfortable at first. Then I began to understand how Dr. Weinstein was having us learn, and things just really took off and I now experience myself as an artist as well as a scientist. 
     Religious Beliefs and Atheism was different from anything I had ever experienced at APU. I saw religion from a new perspective and the way the course was taught was nontraditional and very interesting.
     I also got a lot out of the Animal Behavior class. Dr. Blust did lots of things with interested students outside of class. At Green Mountain, you can check out binoculars, so I was able to get into birding and see a lot of new birds without that expense.

Best Excursion/Adventure There: I’ve had so many that it is difficult to keep track. One of my most fond memories of the campus was going with a few curious students and our professor Mike Blust to search for an elusive woodcock. We walked behind the school at dusk in the grassy fields and waited quietly as the sun set to see if we would catch a glimpse of the bird spiraling in the sky to attract a mate. Unfortunately we did not get to see the bird, but we all sat so quietly and watched as night fell around us and it was very serene. It was a wonderful evening, woodcock or not.

Fun Things to do in the Area: Visit the on-campus farm and watch the cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens. You can even volunteer and lend a hand on the farm! Taking walks down Mainstreet right from the dorms and visiting the local diners for breakfast on the weekends or before class. But even though you are in a tiny town, big urban areas are reachable; the college has a shuttle to Rutland, the second largest city in Vermont, and coming from Alaska, it was very nice that it is a reasonably easy drive to larger cities.  I visited New York City over spring break and took advantage of the incredible cultural opportunities there.

There’s also an artificial salt cave in Rutland for speleotherapy (salt therapy). It is rather hip and new-age and you can sit in the cave for an hour to experience the beneficial effects. It is very relaxing! 

Best Time to Go: I went during the spring semester. I was sorry to miss the fall colors that New England is famous for, but it was nice to leave Vermont with fresh memories of warmth and sun and students coming out of their caves from the winter.

What to Read Up On Before You Go: Make certain that you research airfare and compare rates between landing in the Burlington Airport or landing nearby in New York and getting a shuttle or a ride. I landed in Burlington and I was told that it is usually much cheaper to fly to New York.
     Also, if you’re a naturalist, I recommend purchasing a wildlife guide for the area. There is quite a bit of wildlife around Poultney.

What I enjoyed about the people there: Most students at GMC are living on campus, so the college community is very active with sports, clubs, and events. Most students are likely to have something in common with you because it definitely takes a certain person to be drawn toward GMC. Most people I met were very conscious of the environment and politically active. My dorm situation could not have been better, and I had the greatest roommate ever.

Reasons to participate in an Eco League Experience:  I so enjoyed working with Green Mountain professors John Van Hoesen and Richard Weinstein and finding new friendships with other students, that it was hard to leave Green Mountain College. If you are even just thinking you might want to do it, do it.  You’ll learn something about other parts of the country and yourself as well.