Name: Kelsey Miller
Year: Senior
Major: Environmental Studies
Relationship status: Single
Occupation: Head Lifeguard at Sheldon and Amazon Pools
Campus Involvement: Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)
Most likely to be seen: School and work by day, Max’s by night
Favorite Beverage: Spanish Coffee and Deschute’s Red Chair
Favorite Shoes: Glitter pumps
Most desirable assets: Self-reliance, practicality, loyalty, Always Down to Party, and the adventuring spirit
Favorite UO trait: The diversity of campus and how excited people are about getting involved on
campus; the opportunity that UO students have to make a difference.
Spring Term Goals: To have a gloriously fun last term in college… and maybe score a new internship.
Fun Fact: Instead of going home for Christmas, Kelsey went to Antarctica through a University of Oregon study abroad program, where she lived on a boat with other students from Virginia Tech and other schools as well as the crew, scientists, and other tourists. Skipping both Christmas and New Year’s, she spent three weeks studying, exploring, and playing in the world’s most pristine environment. (And yes, she did see a lot of penguins. A LOT of penguins.)
Best Part about Antarctica: The ice and snow. Seriously! Kelsey even had the opportunity to hunt for a special kind of million-year-old ice, which she later enjoyed in her beverage that evening. Additionally, as an environmental studies major, Kelsey’s interests are primarily around topics involving global climate change – a phenomenon particularly visible in Antarctica, where the polar icecaps are melting faster and faster, which provides invaluable experience to her resume.
Best Advice: Be persistent and follow through. Because the Antarctica study abroad experience was made possible through Oregon State by way of Virginia, Kelsey had to talk to a lot of people to get admitted, stay in the loop, and worried if the ship could depart on time! Being persistent was not always easy or fun (“I had to email this one guy about once a week for three months to make sure I was still on board!” ), but it paid off as soon as their boat left South America. Nobody likes to feel pushy, but being persistent speaks volumes about the kind of student, worker, and person you are, and superiors will be more likely to help you if they remember you. Kelsey now has friends from all over the world from her study, as well as contacts and experience in a place that attracts some of the world’s most intelligent scientists, environmentalists, and adventurers alike. Investing in this opportunity in college will possibly help her establish her future career path.
Favorite Antarctica Quote: “When I was little I always wanted to go to the moon, but then I went to
Antarctica and realized I already had.”
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Elisa Marcheschi is a recent alum from the University of Oregon, receiving her Bachelor of Art’s Degree in March 2012 in Sociology and a Minor in English. She was born and raised in Ogden, Utah, but is not Mormon (well, not anymore). She spent her early college years at Southern Utah University. Through the National Student Exchange, she went on exchange to the University of Oregon in 2009 and liked Eugene so much that she transferred to the school in 2010 and fulfilled the Oregon residency requirements in 2011. She has worked as a lifeguard and swim lesson teacher for eight years, a swim counselor at sleep away camps in Maine, and earned her American Association of Snowboard Instructors Level One certification at Brian Head Ski Resort, Utah. Her interests range from social reform through toxin awareness, education, transportation; energy education and activism; 20th-Century art culture; social media and technological advancement; theater arts; product design and consumer habits; whole foods and cuisine; tourism and outdoor travel/exploration; English as a Second Language, Sign Language, Early Childhood Education, Poetry, Haute Couture and costume design; contemporary art culture; french bulldogs; big windows and natural light; anything pasta or cheese based. Her car’s name is Gregory Deuce the Snowbeast. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr – @elisaiselectric