Celebrating 2025 Graduating Seniors
Ollie Branch
Hi! My name is Ollie Branch, I’m a Geology Major and Environmental Studies minor from the Twin Cities, and I’m graduating this spring! I was first introduced to Geology in my First Year Course Dynamic Earth/Global Change with Kelly MacGregor, and I’ve wanted to explore the Earth Sciences since then. I became really interested in the surface processes side of things after taking Kelly’s geomorphology and hydrology course, and knew I wanted to continue studying water after that and potentially pursue this field after graduating. Last summer I was a part of Anika Bratt’s research lab, where I looked specifically at the legacy of Redlining and its impacts on stream quality.
I’m very excited to stick around the Twin Cities after graduating! I don’t have any specific plans yet, but I hope to work in water resources management and continue to understand Environmental Justice issues in the Twin Cities!
Sophia Esquenet
Hi! My name is Sophia and I’m from Bethesda, MD. My main research field within geology is Structural Geology and Tectonics. For the past year, I have been working with Alan Chapman to constrain the accretionary age of the Franciscan Complex of Northern California using U-Pb radiogenic dating of detrital zircon from the Skaggs Spring Schist. This fall, I am thrilled to be starting a PhD program at Utah State University doing seismological research.
Josephine Fernholz
Hi! My name is Josephine and I am from Berkeley, CA. Over the past six months I have been working on dating garnets from California using isotopes of rare earth elements with Alan Chapman. I have loved the research process and I am excited to begin a master’s program at the University of Maine working on in situ Rb-Sr dating of micas next fall (aka. shooting rocks with lasers).
Matthew Flowers
Hi, my name is Matthew, and I am a Geology major and Data Science minor from New York City. I declared my major in my second semester after taking History and Evolution of the Earth with Ray and have loved my time in the department ever since. I am especially interested in igneous rocks, geochemistry, and petrology, which I am exploring through my honors thesis: “Petrology and Geochemistry of Anorthosite Xenoliths from the Proterozoic Midcontinent Rift (Beaver Bay Complex, MN).” This research builds on the work I conducted during a summer with Emily, studying similar anorthosites from the region.
Ike Hatlevig
My name is Ike Hatlevig, and I am from Stow, MA in the western suburbs of Boston. I’m a double Geology/Geography major with a minor in History. As a kid, I was always interested in dinosaurs and playing in the mud- but I drifted away from geology until I took Dinosaurs and History/Evo of Earth to cover my science requirement my first year, and was sold on geology! I loved the classes and material, but above all really found a community in the Macalester Geology department. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to study here with such amazing professors and peers.
I haven’t quite nailed down what I’ll be doing next year, but it will definitely fall within the field if I can so help it. I know, however, that Mac Geology will stick with me for the rest of my life, no matter where I go!
John Johnson
Hi! My name is John Johnson from Wisconsin and I like rocks. More than that, I like to study the Earth. Therefore, Geology was the right choice for me! Ever since I was a little lad, I have always been interested in the Earth and natural processes. My time as a Boy Scout fostered a love for the outdoors. I look forward to studying hydrology and surface processes. After graduating, I plan to move to Washington state so I can further a career in natural resources. The Macalester college Geology department has been outstanding, and I am so grateful for everyone I have met studying Geology. Rocks rock!
Marisa Luft
Hello! My name is Marisa Luft (they/them), but I’m better known as Zuul around the Geology Department. I am a Geology Major from Brooklyn, New York. I originally came to Macalester thinking I was going to be a Neuroscience and Theater double major. But my first semester I took Dinosaurs with Kristi Curry Rogers and fell in love with geology and I haven’t turned back. My honors project research is focused on marine reptile remains found Summer 2024 in the Bearpaw Shale Formation of Central Montana. My project goal was initial description and identification of the remains. After graduation I am planning on completing an internship in the K-Pg Fossil Preparation Lab at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I plan on continuing my education focused on paleontology and seeing where that takes me. I am so incredibly thankful and grateful for the Macalester Geology Department and everyone in it. Macalester Geology has become my home for the past 4 years. The amazing community has provided me with so many amazing opportunities and friends that I will be forever grateful for.
Gustavo Marchant Allende
Hi all! I’m Gustavo Marchant Allende (he/him/él), a geology major with a statistics minor. I declared my major at the end of my first year, but I never even considered a STEM career. I’m originally from Santiago, Chile, so I grew up with mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes. The geology department has taught me to love the planet through a new lens, and everyone in the department ensures you do so!
I’m finishing my thesis project, which focused on rock-melt interactions in the Earth’s upper mantle. In the fall after Mac, I’ll jump to a PhD in Planetary Science at Purdue University, boiler up!!! I couldn’t have made it this far without the Geology department! I met incredible friends and all the professors became mentors in one way or another. Thank you all for four incredible years, don’t forget to be awesome!
Claire McDayter-Hunter
An Integrated Study of Olivine Crystal Habits in Piton de Caille Oceanite (La Reunion Hotspot)
Honors Advisor: Ben Welsch
Alex Parr
Hello! My name is Alex Parr (she/her) and I am from St. Paul and I grew up mostly in Sri Lanka. Majoring in Geology was not on my radar until taking a Geohazards class during the second semester of my first year and now I can’t imagine where I would be if a friend hadn’t recommended the class! This past year I have been working on my honors project studying the vesicles (the holes!) in tephra from the 1973 Eldfell eruption in Iceland. I started this project while studying abroad in Iceland last spring and continued the research when I returned to Macalester, learning so much along the way.
After graduation, I am excited to venture off into the field of geology and gain some working experience before applying to grad school in the next few years!
Sophia Powers
Exploring Variability in Peak Discharge and Erosion Caused by the June 2022 Atmospheric River Flood in northern Yellowstone National Park
Carmen Ramirez Y Porter
Hi! I’m Carmen, a geology major from Santa Cruz, California. I didn’t come to Mac thinking that I would go into STEM, but this department has fostered my love for science in the best way. I’m grateful for the connections I’ve made and I will miss everyone very much. Excited to see where life takes me <3 – rocks rock!
Noah Riccardi
Hello! I first got into geology in spring of my first year while taking Historical Geology/Evolution of the Earth. I was fascinated by the idea of rocks as a readable archive of past events on the Earth, and made the wonderful decision to join the flannel club.
Since then, geology has taken me to a variety of fascinating places, like New Zealand, the Cordilleran Range in California, and Bremen, Germany, where I presented my senior thesis in poster form. For that thesis, I worked with Alan Chapman on a detrital zircon study of clastic rocks from Svalbard, trying to constrain sedimentary sources and paleogeography in the Devonian Arctic. That period of time is still heavily discussed, so our study serves to add another puzzle piece in a complex picture.
Rana Rishmawi
Hello! My name is Rana Rishmawi, and I’m from Bethlehem, Palestine. I am a geology major and statistics minor at Macalester College. I fell in love with geology after attending Kelly MacGregor’s Dynamic Earth and Global Change First Year Course. But the decision to major in geology stems from a newly found love for geology that I developed while attending the Hydrology course at Macalester, and visiting the St Anthony Falls Laboratory at the University of Minnesota, it became my dream to work in a similar lab one day. This past summer, I achieved my dream and conducted research at the St Anthony Falls Lab! My research consisted of learning how to visualize an estuary using a microfluidic (microchip) device.
After Macalester, I will be pursuing a PhD degree at the Earth and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of California in Riverside.
I will forever be grateful to my geology professors at Macalester, especially my advisor Kelly MacGregor, as well as my geology peers and friends.
Serena Stein
Hi! My name is Serena and I’m from Ridgefield, CT. I’m a double major in Geology and Geography with a minor in Media and Cultural Studies. My earliest memories of geology were making limestone rocks fizz in vinegar in elementary school, but I became truly interested in studying geology when I took Dinosaurs with Kristi my freshman year of college. Since then, I have spent the last two years working in the microfossil lab picking at tiny sediment and fossils from Missouri, and hanging out with my incredible geology friends and professors. My Capstone is based on original research I conducted while studying abroad, and my presentation is called Approaching Extinction: Investigating the presence of the geosciences in high school curricula in the Western Cape, South Africa. I’m not sure what is next for me but I would love to eventually go back to school and study Earth Science education!
Lily Zugschwert
Hi everyone, I am Lily Zugschwert (she/her/hers) graduating with the Geology Class of 2025! I’m originally from Orono, MN but grew up in Chicago, IL, and am graduating with a geology major and anthropology minor. I came to Macalester for a small, Liberal Arts school near a big city and to be near family, not even knowing about the Geology department. That is until I found myself in the Dynamic Earth and Global Change FYC with Kelly MacGregor and I absolutely fell in love. Right after that, I took History and Evolution of the Earth with Ray Rogers and I declared within that first year.
Since the summer after my freshman year, I have been studying Late Cretaceous microfossils from Montana and working with many amazing and inspiring geologists-in-training, as well as really getting to know and be mentored by the phenomenal Mac Geo professors. I began my honors research in Fall 2023, focusing on the tiny marks and modifications left behind on the surfaces of small, fragmentary bones (i.e., tooth marks and scratches!) from the time of the dinosaurs (65-80 million years ago). My time in our department has been truly formative and I truly can credit all the cool experiences and opportunities I have been able to do and the path I am on now to this department and all the friends I have made through it. My next big step will be onto graduate school for a Geology Master’s degree this coming Fall 2025!