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Hometown: Beijing, China
Year/Graduation: Sophomore, May 2027
Concentration: Environmental Science and Managment
Why Illinois? – What factors helped contribute to your decision to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
When applying for universities, the primary factor in determining whether I wanted to send my application to the school was how much attention was brought to my major within the community. I looked at research areas, courses offered, how recent articles were published, and the overall goal of the college as well as the major encapsulated. UIUC was compatible with the goals I have set for myself in this field. Specifically, I wanted to study hydrology and watershed management, and there were NRES courses that were right on the spot about what I wanted to learn.
The less emphasized reason why I wanted to study in Illinois was because I like the Midwest. I spent two years in high school in Wisconsin, often traveled to Minnesota, attended camp in Missouri, and all the friendly interactions I’ve had with almost everyone here were so incredibly friendly and warm. However, as an international student coming from a fairly large city, I prefer living in an environment with a high atmosphere of energy, so UIUC being such a big school and not too far away from Chicago secured my decision.
Why NRES? – Specifically, why did you choose to study Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences?
I often struggle with a summarization of why I chose to study Environmental Science, but this title of “I absolutely love my major” has become very well-known among my friends and the people around me. Even though it always seemed like I knew what I wanted to study from the very beginning because of how clear I have my path envisioned now, during my first year of high school, I was in a state of complete confusion. Environmental Science was a venture I took with my future, and fortunately, I gambled and I won.
My involvement in this field cultivated a passion that has driven me to pursue a goal of sustaining the environment of my community, and ultimately spurring a global change.
Now, as a member of the NRES family, I am presented with immense opportunities to advance toward this goal. NRES encompasses people, nature, research, impact, and most importantly, passion. I am able to fully immerse myself in the breadth of Environmental Science, continually growing and engaging with what truly matters to me.