Meet this week’s Campus Celebrity, Anna Marshall! Whether she’s conducting research through the Goodwin Niering Center for the Environment, working on the leadership committee for As Told By Vaginas, or playing on the Women’s Rugby team, this awesome girl seems to do it all. Check out this week’s interview to read all about her awesome involvement in the community here at Conn and beyond!
Year: Junior
Major: Environmental Science/Anthropology
Hometown: Norridgewock, ME
Extracurriculars: Goodwin Niering Center for the Environment, As Told by Vaginas, Safety Net, Women’s Rugby and Mystic Aquarium Diver.
We hear that you’re involved with the Goodwin Niering Center for the Environment, what’s it been like being a part of the center?
I can’t speak highly enough about it. It’s a smaller center, so for our night class we’ll have the entire group together. You have these awesome discussions which pull from different people’s perspectives and interests. We have theater majors and economics majors and everywhere in between so it’s awesome to have this close knit collaboration. Right now we’re planning for an upcoming conference titled “Feeding the Future.” We’re looking at food trends, food security and food insecurity. It’s really interesting looking at it in the context of our campus and exploring where we are as a nation in terms of food quality and production.
In relation to the center, I’m also hoping to do an honors thesis relating to water and the role of humans in altering river and aquatic systems. It’s going to relate to the engineering approaches we have in our system and the long term effects they have on our natural world. It’s something that’s changing so quickly right now and so it’s really amazing to be right in the middle of it.
As Told By Vaginas was awesome! Can you tell me about your experiences working on the show?
I’ve been involved in the show since my freshman year and one of my favorite parts is looking back on the days or week after the performance and hearing all the different praises and criticisms. As Told By Vaginas this year was really a way to step back and hear the voices of our campus and community and make it a more inclusive event and performance. In the week or two weeks leading up, I arranged a trip with all the cast members to visit Safe Futures in New London. I wanted for everyone to be able to develop a relationship with this important organization because in years prior I hadn’t know a lot about the organization. There’s such a greater community aspect this year and I really appreciate people taking a stand about what they believe is important to be shared. I think the coolest aspect of the show was how relatable it was. However, it is a young show so now there’s also a lot of room for growth and reflection. There’s a lot that we hope to do to better the show and reach a broader audience and that potential to become an even larger presence on our campus is very exciting.
Do you have a favorite spot on campus?
I’m currently living in Earth House this semester and I think the excessive amount of snow days has made me never want to leave. It’s bright and cheery and I love it. I also have a love-hate relationship with the Olin basement. I do a lot of my research there and it’s a great space but I also dread it because it’s where I face a lot of deadlines and stress. I also love the Catherine Black Garden. I think maybe people don’t know about because it’s across the street but there’s a little waterfall and flowers and it’s really beautiful. I think there are so many under-utilized spaces here that are so cool.
Have you had a favorite class or professor in your time here at Conn?
I am very much biased to my two favorite professors being my two advisors: Anthony Gresch, the chair of the Anthropology department and Doug Thompson who’s also a chair for the Geophysics department. I don’t know what I would do without them. They are amazing and the opportunities they have set me up with are phenomenal. They’re so humble and wonderful and I can’t possibly say enough positive things about them.
In terms of my favorite class it would have to be Hydrology. Everyone dreads it but I secretly thought it was awesome. I also took Environmental Art with Karen Gonsalez Rice. I swore for a month after that that I would be an art major. It helped me look beyond the standard science perspective and it was really neat. I see myself as extremely lucky because I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad class.
How do you feel about being nominated for Campus Celebrity?
Shout out to whoever nominated me- thanks! I could think of 100 people who I admire who deserve it but it’s awesome and I’m so grateful.