We ripped open bags in the academic buildings and residence halls. One weekday. One weekend. Just to see differences. It was fun. The whole class ripped open bags. We had masks. It was messy, gross. You find some interesting things in the garbage. There was not a lot of paper waste, so our papering is quite good. Recycling in the academic buildings was impressive and we want to encourage it more in the residence halls.
This summer I am working for Clean Air New York. Trying to do something related to my major. I go around to companies and talk and educate them about making transportation cleaner. Carpooling. Public transportation. That kind of thing.

UNDERSTANDING THE ENVIRONMENT
I had planned on transferring to a major in Cinema Studies until I took Introduction to Environmental Science with professor George Kraemer my first year. I’m not sure what it was, but the subject was totally different than it had been in high school. The whole year I did really well. I remember on the day of the final how I literally left the exam with a smile on my face.

When I had my first advising meeting with Professor Kraemer, he was all ready for me to transfer and declare a major in Cinema Studies. Instead, I took a jump and decided to declare myself an Environmental Studies major. I had been afraid of pursuing science because I didn’t have a strong background. My peer advisor for freshman seminar, Lindsay Randall, really helped give me the confidence to go through with deciding to study science. She had come into Purchase as a Drama Studies major and ended up graduating as an Environmental major as well. She is really well-known throughout the campus and has achieved so many accomplishments with her major. Now, I have so many options of what I can do with Environmental Science. It encompasses so many different fields that I know I’ll never be bored.
The campus itself has fueled passion for my major. It is surrounded by woods and is full of different animals and birds. I love walking the loop when it’s warm out. Even when I’m in the classroom, I feel like my classes are still really interactive. The senior project that Purchase has is such an amazing idea to help give students a jump-start into their careers after graduating.

SKALLOWEEN
Culture Shock (as well as all the other shows that are going on almost every night at the Student Center) has also been really great. Friends of mine from different places were jealous when I told them I got to see The Pietasters for free on Skalloween. I know other schools have events of their own, but I really doubt they’re as awesome as the ones we have. Our student body is superlatively creative and definitely unique compared to other schools. When I visit my friends at other colleges, I really realize how different the Purchase student body is.
Next year I’ll finally be living in the apartments, something that I think provides a different kind of experience. I don’t think many other campuses offer that type of housing, but I love that Purchase does. What better way to get students pre-adjusted to life after college than letting them have the chance to live in an apartment? I’m excited about cooking my own meals and even silly things like vacuuming in the living room. Yeah, I’m a bit odd.