Born near Akron Ohio in 1999, I grew up as the youngest of 5 children in the suburban sprawl of the Midwest. As my father was a graduate professor, my parents valued education very highly. With this at the forefront of their priorities, I was homeschooled alongside my siblings through seventh grade, after which I began attending a small private school, graduating in 2017. Throughout childhood my parents pressured me to pursue classical cello and piano and focus on school, but I found far more fulfillment in outdoor activities and sports. From soccer to fishing, skateboarding, hockey and eventually rock climbing I attempted a broad range of hobbies, always searching for that which challenged both my mind and body.
Faced with the decision to choose a university, I repressed my desire to take time off from school and began searching for a college that offered an industrial design degree and easy access to outdoor recreation. With these criteria, Western Washington University quickly appeared as an obvious option. My interest in WWU was heightened by the romantic notion I held of the west coast as I grew up among the tame normalities of suburban life. Accepting my admission to Western, it was with hope and excitement that I moved to Bellingham to pursue the industrial design program within the university and rock climbing outside of it.
Additionally, I have been privileged to travel around the west coast from British Colombia to Utah to southern California and many places between. During this period, I have grown in my passions for rock climbing, trail running, skiing, fly fishing, crafting, gardening, and history. Above all else I am incredibly grateful for all those I have met through this period of growth, who have encouraged, challenged, and taught me.
As I transition out of college, I am excited for what lies ahead as I look forward to gaining new skills and experiences. I am planning to spend the next winter in Mazama Washington where I will work at a gear store and eagerly anticipate traveling through the desert Southwest the following spring. After that I am motivated to take whatever opportunities come my way with a special interest directed toward working as a route setter or within a small scale production operation, pursuing further educational opportunities within agriculture, and traveling.
As my freshman year progressed, my optimistic attitude regressed. Though I had managed acceptance into the industrial design pre-major, I was quickly becoming disillusioned with the program as my environmental ethics clashed with the field’s principles. Thus, it was with great relief that I decided to take a couple quarters off from school my sophomore year. After working all summer at a used car dealership in Akron to pay off my college debt, I flew to California to travel and rock climb with my older brother. After a few months filled with mishaps and injuries contrasted by good and extremely formative experiences, I decided to return to WWU for spring quarter of 2019. With a break from school and a fresh outlook on life, I was excited to be back in the university environment, finish the classes offered within the industrial design pre-major and move on to Fairhaven college to create a regenerative design concentration.
Two and a half years later I find myself wrapping up these plans as graduation races towards me. Though little in this process has gone exactly to plan, especially considering the eruption of COVID-19, I am proud to see my Fairhaven concentration in Regenerative Design, Ecological Solutions, and Craft through to completion. Yet earning my diploma does not begin to encapsulate all that I have learned and experienced along this slightly unconventional collegiate path. I have worked a diverse array of jobs including graphic designer, self-employed landscaping and carpentry contractor, organic farm laborer, route setter and climbing wall attendant, climbing instructor, gear store attendant, and baker.
