I think it’s great that students can get involved so easily in whatever interests them. I started a club, the Purchase Environmental Activists, and I’ve also met a lot of different people through student government. Here, I am really all over the place, involved in so many different parts of the school—including the Athletic Department—that I’ve met so many different, wonderful people.

PROBLEM SOLVING

I’m an Environmental Studies major. When I came to Purchase, I thought I might major in theatre, but in the last week of my required science course, they passed around a proposal for the new Environmental Studies major, and it really spoke to me. I thought, ‘Hey, that looks just like what I want,’ especially because Environmental Studies here focuses on how to find solutions to things, and I’m a very pragmatic person. Finding solutions to problems is, I think, perfect for the world we live in now.

My senior project is a comprehensive plan for how colleges and universities can be more energy-efficient and sustainable. I love the idea of actually changing things, so I’m looking for ways that I can help the College. The nice thing about environmental sustainability is that it inadvertently saves you a lot of money. Right now, the plan focuses on the Purchase campus, but I think it could be useful at any state college or university.

 SHOOTING E-MAIL

I’ve gotten a lot of help with my senior project not just from Professor Kraemer, my director, but also from faculty outside my major—like Karen Burstein who teaches political science here. She’s a former New York State Senator and knows a lot about energy law and policy. And, my second reader is our new science librarian. I’ve also been able to talk directly with the people who manage the campus facilities. I don’t think you get this kind of access at many other schools.

In this way, Purchase is not at all what I’d expected. Here, there is always something you can do to get involved. For instance, Dr. Kraemer and I are setting up a chapter of the Environmental Consortium of Hudson Valley Colleges and Universities here on campus. And, I can shoot the President an e-mail whenever I have an idea or a comment, and he’ll be the one who answers me.

ONE SMALL REGRET

I plan to get a master’s in Public Policy. But first, I want a few years of job experience, probably with a non-profit. That should help me get into a really good graduate school. I’ve been working with the Career Development Center on my resume and, naturally, doing a lot of late-night Web searching.

If there’s one regret that I have it’s that I wish I had gotten involved much earlier. Transferring in was like having a second freshman year for me—and at first I didn’t do as much as I could have. Now, I’m at the point where I’m kind of sorry to see my Purchase years coming to an end. I almost wish I could stay another year so I could do more…almost…