For being from a small ski town, Whitefish, in “the middle of nowhere” Montana, Ella Kobelt certainly does not have a small presence here at Santa Clara. Currently in her sophomore year, Ella is a CF in Dunne who loves the outdoors, and is greatly interested in and involved with environmental studies at SCU.
You can sometimes spot her in Benson grabbing dinner with a big group of freshmen; those are probably her residents. Because it is her first year being a CF, Ella has made it a priority to have an open and friendly relationship with the students living on her floor. They have an honest and mutually respectful friendship. “Every one on the floor is so close and it is so amazing,” she gushes. She loves being a mentor, a resource, and being relatable, so her residents feel comfortable coming to her for advice. Additionally, being involved in Greek life as a member of Delta Gamma allows her to relate to those who balance these commitments as well. People can call her “a mom, a big sister, and a boss” to the freshmen on her floor.
As an Environmental Studies major, Ella is passionate about cultivating a mindset of sustainability. She is a liaison in the sustainability office on campus, working to promote environmental consciousness. She wants to “eventually integrate sustainability as second nature;” meaning that for everyone, it’d be obvious to recycle that Starbucks coffee cup or utilize bicycles as a mode of transportation more often. She is passionate about this and is very interested in environmental law and creating green business practices.
In addition to her involvement on campus, Ella loves nature and the outdoors. She enjoys hiking and exploring new places. She would spend all hours outdoors if she could! A fun fact is that she low-key loves jazz music, Ella Fitzgerald, and music in general—she plays the piano and has even taught some of her residents how to play the ukulele!