We Are Knox...

"I feel like Knox opened the door for me to discover the things I was really passionate about."

Since you came to Knox, how have you changed?
I feel like Knox opened the door for me to discover the things I was really passionate about.

I discovered that I really love doing research, which I would have never even thought of before I came here. But now I'm heading to grad school and looking for a research-intensive career, which I'm really excited about.

I've also been exposed to so many really smart people here, which I feel has really broadened my worldview. Everyone here is an expert on something. I love that.

Can you describe the independent study or research you’ve pursued here?
I received a Center for Research and Advanced Study grant my sophomore year and a Ford Fellowship my junior year to do independent research over those summers, focusing on food insecurity and trends in the way we eat in America.

This year, I'm working on an Honors project that investigates how and why we form close relationships with food. I'm looking at what types of adults cook and why, and trying to isolate events or traditions in childhood that lead to healthy eating habits and more frequent home cooking.

The idea is that by identifying what kinds of experiences lead to healthy food relationships, we can better target educational efforts that aim to get people cooking again and encourage a love of food.

Cooking and eating together aren't just important because they're healthy and cost-effective. These things are important because food is a catalyst for community, and the community we form around food extends far beyond the table.

What activities have you participated in on campus, and how have they influenced your experience?
This year, I'm the president of the Knox College Choir, the Knox Mortar Board Chapter, and KARES (Knox Advocates for Recycling and Environmental Support). I also sit on the exec board for our Habitat for Humanity chapter and am a section leader for both the Knox College Choir and the Chamber Singers.

As far as work goes, I tutor and captain at Red Room for the CTL and also work as a tour guide for Admission.

I've gotten such radically different experiences from each thing I've been involved in, but they've also all taught me how to effectively manage people and organize big events in different settings. I think those are really valuable skills, no matter what field you're going into.

Tell us about a memorable class, experience, professor, assignment and what you learned from it? Which Knox classes/professors have been your favorites? Why?
I took a class on Sustainability with Peter Schwartzman my sophomore year, and we had to do this big capstone project where we were supposed to make some aspect of our community more sustainable.

I was so surprised that he wasn't giving us a test -- we were just supposed to go make a difference. So my group organized a "reverse boycott" of Innkeeper's Coffee in downtown Galesburg. We got them to agree to pledge 15% of their sales from one Saturday toward making their business more sustainable, and in exchange, we advertised the pledge and brought in as much business as we could for them.

We ended up increasing their sales that day by 91%.

I also really like how interdisciplinary both of my majors are. I've gotten to take classes in departments I probably wouldn't have ever gone near if it weren't for these majors. I took an environmental economics class, and I took a chemistry and environmental policy class, both taught by professors outside of my departments.