Mercedes Aponte BMC ’18: She plans to declare a Geology major and Environmental Science minor. She was encouraged by past 360 students to look into the program, and thought this cluster would be a good way to explore her interest in Geology. Her hula hoop skills are pretty legendary, and she’s convinced she could light a lightbulb just by hula hooping, given the right energy gathering equipment. In other news, she almost fell into France at the Rhine today.
Annika Cole BMC ’18: She is an International Studies major. She grew up surrounded by environmentally conscious and active adults, and was drawn to this 360 because she wanted to incorporate that education and awareness fostered in her into her curricular pursuits. As you may be able to tell, she’s having a great time on this trip, but she really loves her horse, and looks forward to riding again when we get back Stateside.
Jeremy Graff Evans HC ’18: He is likely majoring in Political Science, with minors in Environmental Studies and International Studies, but he’s not quite ready to put a label on anything yet. He was awakened to the threats to global stability of climate change through a high school course, and felt this 360 was an ideal way to explore the problem further, using the cluster to informer both personal and career decisions. He is on the basketball team at Haverford, and when not at practice, manages to find time to sing in the S Chords (an a capella group on campus), sit on the Committee for Environmental Responsibility and the Rufus Jones Leadership Institute Board, and work at the fitness center. All that, while spending most of his academic time at Bryn Mawr this semester.
Nicole Hamagami BMC ’16: She has been itching to participate in a 360, and was excited to look at the science of climate change from a variety of perspectives. As a Biology major, she learns a lot about scientific absolutes, and has appreciated the opportunities to explore some grey areas. She’s also a campus tour guide, and looks forward to sharing new insights on the Sustainability Tours she gives to prospective students.
Alison Love HC ’16: She plans to major in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Studies. She first heard about 360s from a mentor of hers at Haverford, who had also participated in the program, and was drawn to this cluster because sustainability seems like the pressing problem of her generation, and seems like it affects any career she would want to pursue. She may also have just been looking for a new place to run. A member of the cross country and track teams at Haverford, Alison has been running every morning in Freiburg and St. Peter, where she has enjoyed seeing normal people headed to work and school (and hasn’t yet been run over by a bike).
Rina Patel BMC ’18: She is a Growth and Structure of Cities major, originally from Chicago, where she used to host a game show for the largest science center in the western hemisphere. The show was called “It’s Predictable,” and she had a Bob Barker microphone. Her interest in 360s dates all the way back to her very first Bryn Mawr event, a presentation about the Modern Art 360 at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she sat with Jiji Plecha, of all people. Though her original plan was to just take the Political Science class, her Dean and Professor Hager convinced her that the whole 360 was worth it. She agrees.
Jiji Plecha BMC ’16. She was drawn to this 360 after her ESEM (titled Environmental Social Problems, taught by Sociology professor Nate Wright) helped her to understand how closely the scientific study of environmental issues is related to the sociological and political perspectives. She’s also been long drawn to Philosophy, and enjoyed a previous class with Bob Dostal. When not vascillating between a major in Sociology or Philosophy, she can be found working as a theater technician and stage manager.
Jasmine Rangel BMC ’17: She is a Chemistry major. She has always been interested in the energy side of chemistry, and a middle school teacher got her passionate about nature, but she was excited to learn more about how people react and respond to new technologies, science, and information in general. Jasmine is also a Traditions Mistress, so while we are in Germany, she’s in the midst of planning Lantern Night too.
Catherine Rowen BMC ’18: She used to have nightmares about climate change as a kid, though she’s cooled down since then (unlike the planet!). As an Archaeology major, she has been concerned that her studies focus on things that happened in the past to dead people, and was excited that this 360 gave her the opportunity to engage on these issues and a sense of what she could do as individual to make a difference. When she isn’t figuring out how to apply what she’s learning to archaeology, she’s playing cello in Blacktop, a band on campus.
Jenille Scott BMC ’17: She is a Biology major, originally from Jamaica. She plans to go into environmental law after graduation, and was excited to mix the science and politics (a true liberal arts perspective!) of Climate Change in this 360. Her list of campus commitments is long, and includes President of BACASO, supervisor at Erdman Dining Hall, and Green Ambassador.
Coco Wang BMC ’16: She is a Philosophy and Political Science double major at Bryn Mawr College. Right around the time applications for this 360 were available, she came across Under the Dome (the documentary on air pollution), which got her thinking about how people live in their environments, damage them, and don’t do anything about it. As an international student from China, often considered the largest polluter in the world, she wanted to tie the policy to the science of climate change, to better understand the actual problems being discussed. She was also excited to get to travel with both of her major department chairs, and her Senior Class Co-President (Chanel). Yesterday brought the most excitement she’s had all semester though, because it actually snowed.
Chanel Williams BMC ’16: She is a Growth and Structure of Cities major, and also a past 360 participant (read about her class experiences in Hamburg here). As a student from the Bahamas, this cluster was particularly interesting because case studies on the Maldives covered in the Political Science course are echoes of the Bahamanian situation. She’s also an avid swimmer and water polo player, so she has high hopes for global sea level rise.
Delaney Williams BMC ’17: She is a Chemistry major and likely Environmental Science minor. She’s wanted to participate in the 360 program since she started at Bryn Mawr, and a friend’s transformative experience last year pushed her to apply to this cluster. As a student deeply involved in sustainability issues on campus (she successfully proposed a plenary resolution to develop a fund for sustainable development on campus this fall), she was excited to find a cluster focused on the problems of climate change. She is also an avowed dog lover, so check out her slideshow of every canine we encountered on the trip.
Meghan Wingate HC ’17: She is a Political science major. Growing up in Vermont, she was always casually involved in environmental groups and activities, but coming to Haverford solidified her academic interest too. She regularly wears her environment love on her sleeve, whether she’s studying policy, playing Ultimate with the Bi-Co Sneeches, or working on the Haverford Farm.