Age: 21
Hometown: Mount Horeb, Wisconsin
Major/minor: Double major in Environmental Studies and Women and Gender Studies
Extracurriculars: SHARE (Sexual Harassment and Rape Education) advocate and exec member; CSMART (Community Sexual Misconduct Awareness and Response Team); DCGA Senator; Environmental Studies Committee Student Representative; Food Recovery
1. You’re involved with the food recovery program on campus. Tell us a little about it!
Yeah! So Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a national organization that works with college campuses to save perfectly good food from being thrown away. Denison’s chapter was formed in 2013 and was the first school in Ohio to have an FRN chapter, so that’s really cool! We save the extra food from the dining halls that would have otherwise been thrown away and donate the food to local organizations. Last year alone we saved over 10,000 pounds of food from being thrown away. We pick up twice a day from both dining halls, and student volunteers sign up for a time slot that works for them to pick up the food. My job is to recruit and coordinate volunteers, communicate with the dining staff, and make sure the program runs smoothly. It is a really awesome program.
2. Favorite Thanksgiving dish?
Mashed potatoes. I am so ready to just cram so many mashed potatoes into my body.
3. What are your plans for after graduation?
I currently have a 6 month internship set up in Cape Town, South Africa working for an organization called SEED, which works to improve ecological literacy and fresh produce for kids living in extremely impoverished areas. I’m still figuing out what I’d like to do after that!
4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Potatoes. They’re so versatile and always delicious!
5. What’s your favorite thing about Denison?
My favorite thing about Denison is the relationships that can form in 4 years. I never thought I could connect with people like I connect with my roommates: they are my foundation. I’ve become so close with other students, professors, the faculty/staff we work with for SHARE, and so many other people at Denison, and they all work to inspire and encourage each other. It’s phenomenal to be in a community that welcomes dialog and collaboration between students and the rest of campus. Every year I’m at Denison, I meet new people and they bring something different into my life.
6. Any tips for underclassmen?
Reach out and talk to people you don’t know, join organizations that interest you, and don’t forget to take care of yourself. Denison is amazing, but it is also extremely stressful — it’s okay to take breaks and treat yourself. It took me a long time to learn that self-care was important, but it is so worthwhile. (Don’t know where to start? Talk to the folks at Active Minds to get some self-care ideas!)