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Pronouns: He/Him
Hometown: Savoy, IL
Year/Graduation: Junior, May 2027
Concentration: Fish, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
Why Illinois? – What factors helped contribute to your decision to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign?
Part of the reason I picked Illinois is because of how dynamic of a campus it is. Rather than there only being one department or major that interested me, there are so many areas and focuses that I’m able to explore and dive into. There is a streamline path that I can follow throughout my time here if I would choose to do so, but here at Illinois I’m also able to forge my own path forward towards the end goals that I seek for myself.
Not only can I get involved in the bigger picture of working with wildlife in terms of the species of animals in NRES, I’m also fully capable of continuing forward in my interests of becoming a wildlife veterinarian as well, while also going down an interpretive and educational path.
The possibilities for what I can do and what I may yet to do here at the University of Illinois are limitless.
Why NRES? – Specifically, why did you choose to study Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences?
When I first came to the University of Illinois, I had no specific direction of what I wanted to do for a definite career or how I wanted things to look post-graduation. I had chosen NRES because I knew I loved working outside, with animals, and with people and NRES seemed to be the best merger of the three. However the more time I explored the different major options around the University, the more I realized that NRES was the best place for me to move forward and to major in.
There are so many different opportunities that can be explored in NRES, working in the field, working in policy, working in a lab, working with animals, and working in education, all of which were really tempting ideas for me to explore. No matter where in NRES I decided to be, I knew that I would eventually find the best place for me to work in, and that gave me comfort both in the amount of opportunities that NRES provided, and the fact that there was such a heavy emphasis on the environment and the community.
Eventually I did find my path and NRES helps to support as I keep moving forward towards my goals in the future.