Environmental Science Personal Statement

There were three things that I was absolutely certain of when I started my undergraduate degree at Allegheny College. I would be studying environmental science. I had a passion for nature, specifically wildlife conservation. My passions were matched with a deep fear of losing those natural resources so essential to the planet. Therefore, this whole undergrad thing needed to hurry up because I had some work to do out there in the world.

My classes were rooted in the sciences, and though I enjoyed the lab work, the research, and the field work, it did not feel as though I was fully working towards my personal goals of conservation. My ambitions were directed towards public opinion, activism, and even politics. It was during my second semester of the first year that I found the bend in the road that

I had never found Allegheny’s motto, “Unusual Combinations,” to fit me as well as it did in that moment. I decided to double-major in both Environmental Science and Communication Arts.

Throughout the remainder of my undergraduate studies and beyond, my passions for wildlife, the environment, and film as a platform for my activism have led me on so many adventures. I pursued an internship with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, where I experienced wildlife management up-close and personal. I attended The American Conservation Film Festival Workshop in West Virginia, where I talked with filmmakers and graduate students about their work and activism through filmmaking. One of the films highlighted in the workshop was BLANK by graduate student BLANK. I had never heard of pangolins, and yet, there I was in awe over the injustice of their poaching and I was on board with the video straight away. I thought to myself, THAT is exactly what I want to do. Her film, she became an example and a significant influence on my work and my goals of becoming an environmental filmmaker. I reflected on her work throughout the course of my senior