Hey y’all! I’m Catherine and I’m from the great state of Texas. When I’m not in class you’ll probably find me carefully curating Spotify playlists, exploring the Upper Valley with my friends, or finding ways to enjoy the ups and downs of Hanover weather in the great outdoors. I am a part of the club lacrosse team, and involved with research in machine learning to improve healthcare outcomes through the Women in Science Project!
Academic Program
Quantitative Social Science/Computer Science/History??
It’s cold. It’s finals. You’re tired of doing work and holing yourself up in the stacks of Baker-Berry Library all day does not sound particularly fun. What do you do? Where do you go?
That’s the exact position I found myself in at the end of this winter term. Thank goodness there are other places on campus to study, especially ones with warmth and sun. During finals week, I discovered the greenhouse, located on the fourth floor of the Life Sciences Center, which is open to the public and has tables open that are a perfect place to study.
The minute you walk inside the greenhouse you are hit by the natural warmth of the sun and surrounded by the greenness of the plants. This may sound strange, but after a winter full of whiteness whenever you walk outside, the sight of green plants is oddly pleasurable. I set up shop at one of the open tables and was able to study for hours in warmth and relaxation.
As I previously mentioned, the greenhouse is open to the community, which makes it an incredible public space that fosters educational and research missions. They even give tours of the botanical collections. While students will often study at the open tables, and they're available for meetings or lunches.
If you venture further into the greenhouse you can visit other rooms where different types of plants are grown based on their conditions. One room has dry, arid plants like cacti, while other rooms house plants that live in a tropical or temperate climate. There is also a beautiful orchid collection. While I am in no way an expert on plants or their biology, it is a nice relaxing study break to be able to go on a walk through the various rooms, looking at and admiring all the different kinds of plants. Especially coming off of ten weeks of winter, being able to enjoy the warmth of the sun amongst the many varieties of plants is both relaxing and invigorating.
Woodworking? How does such a skill play in the academic environment? Well, you'll be surprised by how much a craft can complement your academic experience! Come read!
Taught by two professors, “What’s in Your Shoebox” encourages students who studied abroad, like me, to take the time to unpack the lessons and experiences we had while away from campus.
I used to attend a lot of Model UN conferences in high school. I was in love with the intense debates. I was thrilled at the new knowledge I was able to learn. And above all, I felt grateful for the friendships I made during each conference.
