Kirsti Martinez is not only a Campus Cutie, she’s a campus leader. President of the Student Environmental Association, Kirsti is a dedicated student who takes initiative.
First, a little bit about her: she’s a junior and from Wisconsin. “We say bag like ‘bage.’”
Kirsti is an environmental biology and environmental policy double major. So, I guess you could say she is going to be the type of person we look to when we want to know how we can better our ways to keep our planet more green.
Now, a little bit about her experiences in the Student Environmental Association. We are often told to choose a cause or an organization we are passionate about and stick to it, putting everything into it. Kirsti has done just that by joining the SEA as a freshman in her second semester and staying committed since then. She’s climbed up the ladder by just starting off as an avid member, to spending a year as the director of communications, until she was finally voted president last spring. Since then she has been completely involved in making the club grow. It is already the largest environmental club at USF, and she has done an excellent job of maintaining it by not only promoting going green on campus, but in the greater Tampa Bay area.
What does this environmental leader have in store for her future? She says her job goal is to become a botanist. When asked what got her into this specific area, she spoke about an internship position she had with the Nature Conservancy. It was a game-changer for her, and made her realize that she wanted to work with plants. (After, all they do help us breathe.) She is even doing her Honors College thesis on soil biogeochemistry analysis. So you probably didn’t understand a word of that, but Kirsti knows her stuff. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is! Her dreams include being able to work in New Zealand one day. We at Her Campus wish her all the luck in not only helping Florida go green, but the world.
Right now, Kirsti is focusing on her biggest project for SEA: RecycleMania. What is it, you ask? It is a month long of recycling education and awareness going on from Feb. 23 to March 28. Each week is themed with a different area of awareness. She, along with students and officers of the SEA, and students of Patel College of Global Sustainability are working together to make this happen. Come to as many events as you can! It is a great way to learn about how we can all be part of changing the way we use our resources on a greater scale. As a member of the Environmental Association, I have learned from Kirsti that no matter how much we think that our small actions don’t make a difference in the conservation of our environment – they do. Always.
So thank you Kirsti for being such a great representative for USF (and for mother nature). Come support her and the club at Recycle Mania events! Check out the schedule and SEA’s Facebook page for more information!