What originally attracted me to the ENVS program at Lewis & Clark was how interdisciplinary it is. The program encourages students to explore other areas of interest and connect them back to Environmental Studies, something which I find really emphasizes how intersectional Environmental Studies is in general, even beyond the program at Lewis & Clark.
As a prospective ENVS major, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the disciplines I would like to incorporate into my ENVS area of emphasis. I’ve realized recently how passionate I am about history and education. If I were to be an ENVS major, I think I would like my area of emphasis to focus on the intersection between the environment, history, and teaching.
One of my dream jobs would be to create an education program for youth about the history of natural environments that incorporates evolution, the history of the changing landscape, the history of civilizations in that area, etc. While I love botany, geology, and entomology, I also love history. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, and I’d love to one day design a program that takes kids outside to study about the history of their environments. It would combine many of my own passions, including backpacking, but I think it would also be an amazing opportunity to get kids excited not only about exploration, but also about their education.
I believe that a great way to excite kids about learning is to show them how everything is intersectional. It’s incredible to think about how disciplines we are taught are so separate are actually incredibly interconnected. I think programs that combine multiple disciplines to inspire children to be curious and explorative are powerful. If I choose to major in ENVS, I think this is what I would like my area of emphasis to focus on.