Hometown: Canton Ct

Major: Psychology

Eco League School I Attend: Green Mountain College

Most Dramatic Difference Between the Two Environments: The Green Mountain College campus is next to a small river, at Northland, Lake Superior is a 15 minute walk or bike ride away.  Iloved the big sky and the nearness of that huge body of water.

Courses I Took: Theories of Personality, Independent Study in Ecopsychology, Math, Religion, and Foundations of Visual Art.

Fun things to do in the area: Northland is located in the great little town of Ashland, Wisconsin.  I especially liked the coop, bakery, and the Black Cat Coffee Shop where local art, including student work, is displayed.  I also really enjoyed camping with friends from Northland at Maxwell’s property, a spread of land owned by the college for student use.  It was cold to camp in the fall, but we had this wonderful feeling of being on the adventure together. There are lots of local cultural events in nearby towns - festivals and art openings.

My Best Excursion/Adventure There: There are a lot of adventures to be had at Northland College.  One of the best days was hiking at St. Peter’s Dome; the foliage was stunning, even coming from the Northeast.  We hiked to the top, passing waterfalls along the way.  It was mating season for ladybugs, and the hilltop was full of them.  After that wonderful hike we went back to friend’s house and finished the day with homemade pizza.   I also visited the Apostle Islands - we caught a boat in nearby Bayfield – a great trip.

Best Time to Go: I felt like fall was a great time to go but I hear that if you go in Winter, there are cool winter activities to participate in like visiting ice caves  and enjoying frozen Lake Superior.

What to Read Up on Before You Go: The Sigurd Olsen Environmental Institute is a focus on campus.  It might be good to read up a little on him before you go so that you can better understand his importance in environmental studies.

What is Unique About the People There: Northland students are both aware of what is going on in the world and connected to their local environment.  Students are very healthy, happy, and motivated.  I found the positive attitude to be very contagious and the friends I made there became my family in a short period of time. People in the local communities are very involved ecologically. The towns of Ashland and Washburn, Wisconsin have organized themselves as Eco-Municipalities Check out:    http://www.sustainablelawrence.org/ecomunimodel.pdf.

Faculty Member I Most Enjoyed Working With: Grant Herman, my local advisor and Jorge Conesa-Sevilla, Professor of Psychology were great in that they really made an effort to help further my education and were extremely accommodating even though they weren’t my classroom teachers.  Lorraine Fish, who was my professor for Theories of Personality and for an independent study really inspired me to learn what I wanted to.  She was very invested in furthering my education and making me aware of various opportunities in my field of study. 

Reasons to Participate in an Eco League Experience:  It is hard for me to express how amazing my eco league experience was, because so much of what I learned was valuable and much of it intangible.   First of all, it’s fun to do something different and expand your horizons.  The Eco League exchange helped me to find out who I am as a person.  The experience helped me to gain a sense of confidence, and to focus in on my academic direction.   I am planning on participating in another Eco League exchange at Prescott College next fall, and will continue studying in Eco Psychology, as well as learning about Holistic healing, and taking an Adolescent Psychology course.  It’s been really valuable to get perspectives from different environments and faculty, especially in the field of psychological study, and the exchanges have become an important part in building my academic program for my major.  Overall, my eco league experience was tremendously empowering and eye-opening.  Through the experience I was really able to find myself, and discover how to live for myself and engage in the environment in the healthiest way I can.  I believe that everyone should have this kind of empowering experience.

Other things I’d like to mention about Northland College: The art building at Northland is excellent, with really good facilities.  The printmaking studio is especially good, with lots of different techniques available.  Also, if you go in fall, make sure to go to Queeb – a quirky and very local celebration with great music and food, you’ll find out more about it when you get there!