 Lauren Ballewske
I became an ES major because I was really interested in ecology and the interconnectedness of the world around us. I also liked the freedom that the major gives you--you can make it your own while still gaining an understanding of so many different topics. After graduation, I will be working in a lab at Macalester and going to Madagascar on a dinosaur dig! I will also be completing my Biology major and going to graduate school for Paleobiology in the Fall of 2011. |
 Laura Bartolomei-Hill
I became an ES major because I loved how interdisciplinary it was, how connected to Mac and the Twin Cities, and how much there was an emphasis on both complicating issues and constructively addressing them. What am I doing after graduation? Hmm...good question...employment, hopefully, and then maybe history graduate school. |
 Rose Betzler
I became an ES major because I've always loved being outdoors and in nature. I wanted to learn more about how the environment around me worked and what we can do to protect it. After graduation I plan on getting a job in the environmental field, hopefully working outside and with people. |
 Kai Bosworth
I became an environmental studies major firstly because I believe the strongest academic work is produced through interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological frameworks, which environmental studies exemplifies. Second, organizing a discipline around the question of nature and the nonhuman requires a reevaluation of systems of power like race and racism, colonialism, and sexuality, with implications for how we approach and produce a more ethical world. I will continue negotiating these topics in the fall through graduate study in geography at the University of Minnesota. |
 Avery Bowron
|
 Molly Brown
I became an ES major because I see systems and communities as interconnected and interdependent and think that environmental issues are also at the root of so many economic, political and health concerns. After graduation I am working at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. After that I will be getting my combiend bachelors and masters of nursing. |
 Lisa Bruckner
I became an ES major because I was interested in learning more about consumption and international development. I've also had a passion for "the environment" since I was young and thought I would go into a related career. After graduation, I plan on doing nothing with academia for many, many years.
|
 Maddy Cochrane
I became an ES major because it combined my passion for the outdoors with my concern and interest in conservation and wild curiosity with everything biological. After graduation I'm heading out to Oregon to work with the Deschuttes National Forest to complete research related to the Northern Spotted Owl and endemic Oregon Frog. |
 Laina Copley
I became an ES major because I couldn't make up my mind. ES has allowed me to take classes in lots of different departments and recognizes the interconnectedness of different disciplines. I like to think that we are one of the least pretentious majors on campus because we don't pretend that we can neatly define and totally know anything in its entirety. World issues are messy! After graduation I hope to get some more experience with sustainable gardening/farming and hopefully some day work with kids teaching them about sustainable food, cooking and nutrition. I may also make my way back to southern India at some point to spend some more time at the ecovillage where I studied abroad. |
 Timothy Den Herder-Thomas
I became an ES major because I see a system of social, cultural, economic, and political problems that center directly around the question of sustainability. I see in ecological thinking that is aware of all those inter-relationships a deeply integrated solution, one that constantly emerges through community. My work before college has been part of this journey, Environmental Studies was a logical next step, and the work I have been doing around green economy innovation carries the same course into the future. Unsure exactly what comes next, but I'm working to turn some combination of The Summer of Solutions, Cooperative Energy Futures, and supporting the grassroots of the Energy Action Coalition into personal financial support. I also might be writing a book about how ordinary people can build a green economy. |
 Heidi Evans
I became an environmental studies major unexpectedly, because I struggled with finding my academic niche and couldn't make up my mind. However, the experiences I had through the department have really helped me establish roots in the Twin Cities and gain a critical perspective on (but also reaffirm) my commitment to social justice. I plan to spend a few years working in an Americorps program or a non-profit, and I would like to go to grad school for multicultural education or something else related to people-oriented processes of change and fostering difficult dialogues within diverse communities. |
 Davita Flowers-Shanklin
I became an ES major because I always wanted to learn about the environment. I also didn't like what I saw from the Biology Dept. After graduation I am going to be in public allies and hopefully get placed in an environmental organization. |
 Rebecca Harnik
|
Rebekah Holmes
I became an ES major because environmental issues are extremely pertinent and the field is expanding. in addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the major has given me a rich understanding of the environment and the variety of perspectives, actors and topics that this field encompasses. After graduation I will be staying in the Twin Cities, getting a dog, and using my vast knowledge about environmental issues and internship experience at a non-for-profit organization if I can find a job. Otherwise, I'll continue working as a birthday party host at the Minnesota Children's Museum. |
 Ellie Jones
|
Kevin Kjorlien
I became an ES major because I love being outside. After graduation I plan on getting EMT certified and move out west to work on a ski patrol. |
 Zachary Lazar
Growing up as a child of the 1990's, my developmental years were profoundly impacted by Captain Planet. As a generally outdoorsy person with a genuine concern for the well being of life on earth, I was first drawn to the academic study of the environment when AP Environmental Science was the only science class that fit my schedule senior year of high school. Coming from a family of lawyers, I was particularly drawn to the policies and politics that surround the environmental issues I learned about in this class. Upon coming to Macalester, combining a ES and Poli-Sci major with a core in environmental policy was a natural fit. After graduation I will be interning at the Alliance to Save Energy in Washington, DC, and working with the non-profit Greenverse to set up projects in the Chicago area for the 2010-2011 school year. |
 Emily Merrill ' 10
I became an ES major because I really liked the interdisciplinary nature of the field and enjoyed the classes I took. After graduation, I'm working at Ordway for the summer and then participating in a post-baccalaureate math program for the next school year. Beyond that, I am leaving things open. |
Trina PaStarr
I became and ES major because I love being outdoors. Corny as it may sound, my love of nature fueled my initial interest in the department and once here I was unable to leave. Plus there were so many different directions with which to take the major. After graduation I am going to Alaska for the summer to work as a raft guide. Then I'm off to an AmeriCorps position - hopefully in Tacoma working for L'Arche which is a community that combines people with disabilities and volunteers in intentional, faith-based homes. |
 Hannah Rivenburgh
I became an ES major because of the interdisciplinary potential of environmental studies, allowing me to combine my interests in the intersections between nature and culture, race, class, gender and sexuality. After graduating, I will be staying in the Twin Cities which I have grown to love, moving to Minneapolis somewhere between Seward and Phillips, and hopefully working with Americorps. |
 Piera von Glahn
I became an ES major because I love the outdoors and wildlife and I wanted to figure out how I can exist in the world and contribute to the causes I care about. After graduation I am taking my degree to camp for the summer and working at a wildlife rehab center. Eventually I hope to help reform the U.S. slaughterhouse system and farming subsidies. |
 Cara Weggler
I became an ES Major because it is an interdisciplinary major revolved issues of importance to me. I didn't want to become too specialized in an area in college, because that's what's grad school is for! I like to think my Macalester education has given me the flexibility to apply my skills to many different areas. After graduation I plan to intern for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and work on their State-wide mussel survey. |
