Meet Hayley, an International student from Scotland who loves reading, hiking, and all things about animals. She’s only been here a few weeks, but she’s already got a lot to say about LAX!
Name: Hayley Smith
Year: Junior
Major: Animal Biology
Hometown: Aberdeen, Scotland
PGPs: she/her/hers
A: Can you tell me more about where you’re from?
H: It’s known as the granite city, because everything and every building is made out of granite. It’s in the north of Scotland, so it’s very windy and very cold and rainy. And that’s about as interesting as Aberdeen gets!
A: What made you choose to come to La Crosse?
H: You guys have an amazing biology department, for one thing, so being a biology student obviously you guys have a huge selection that’s good for us. So, I figured, where better to go than here? And it’s got a similar climate to home in the winter.
A: So . . . what do you think of it here so far?
H: It’s quite good. It feels like a home away from home because everybody’s so friendly here, and living with two other people in the same room–at first I was like “ooh, I don’t know how that’s going to be, how it’s going to go.” But it’s like having two built in best friends. So when you’re like “oh, I don’t know what to do,” or where to go for something, you just ask your roommates and it’s like “yeah, we’ll just do it together.” So everybody’s really friendly. And the professors are so much fun. They’re so good.
A: Are you involved in anything on campus?
H: I just signed up to be part of the snow sports team, so we have our first meeting tomorrow!
A: Has anything surprised you here?
H: Quite a lot . . . quite a lot. The fact that the education system is obviously very different . . . we’re not used to having quizzes every week, at home it’s a lot of independent study. So it’s a case of having your lectures and then you’ll have one big exam at the end of semester, and throughout the semester you’ll probably have a couple of lab reports, and maybe one essay, at least for a biology student. So that was a big change. And another thing is that random people will just say hi to you on the street. It seems normal to most people here I think, but back home that doesn’t really happen–ever–so even in the supermarket people approach you and say like “oh yeah, these are, like, the best kind of apples” or something like that and you’re like “oh . . . okay!” So it takes a bit of getting used to. Just a little bit.
A: What are your favorite things to do?
H: I’m a bit of a nerd, so I love to read. I’m a big nerd when it comes to that. I have more books than I could even care to count back home! And hiking, as well. I hate being stuck inside a room for any period of time. So that’s why I kinda love it here, in particular, because you guys have bluffs–which we don’t call them bluffs, but you guys have them–and you can go on so many different hikes. The likelihood of going on the same one twice is low, because there’s so many to choose from. So I really like to do that.
A: What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
H: Ever? Oh, that’s a good question! Probably when I went to South Africa, because I actually got to cage dive with great white sharks . . . that was a lot of fun, that was really cool. And on the same trip we got to go to the beach there–it’s called Boulder Beach–and it’s just got an influx of penguins, so you’re just casually chillin’ with penguins on the beach and you can actually play with them and everything. It’s so cool, you can pet them, and they may nip you now and again, but they mostly play with you which is kinda cool.
A: If you could have any career in the world, what would you choose?
H: Again, nerdy response–but behavioral ecologist, because I love animals obviously, being an animal biologist. So I like to study the way in which they interact with the natural environment. So if I could continue to study that, that would be great! In particular, primates, because I love the way that we’re so genetically similar, but at the same time, so different.
A: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
H: Hmm . . . that’s a good one! To not let anybody else dictate who you are. It was quite a deep sentence to give, like, a ten year-old, but yeah, I’d say that’s the one that affected me the most.
A: Do you plan on traveling anywhere else?
H: Everywhere and anywhere. So, we’re thinking of taking some trips while we’re here to Montreal in Canada, the Grand Canyon, you know, while we’re at La Crosse. And in future years, every place I can possibly get to.
A: Final question: describe yourself in 3 words.
H: Quirky, nerdy, and loyal.
Thanks for the interview, Hayley! I hope your time in LAX is awesome!