MIKA

Hello! My name is Mika, and I am a rising Junior at Wellesley majoring in Religion and Architecture. I spend most of my free time gardening (currently I have been clear cutting crown vetch), attempting to teach myself woodworking (I love making spoons and butter knives), wandering through nature in search of secluded spots where I can sit quietly and soak in the scenery, running around the town in search of new trails, sitting in front of my window, drinking coffee, watching the breeze rustle the pine trees, and lastly, reading obscure texts on Zen Buddhism which leave me in a wonderfully paradoxical state of utter confusion and profound joy.

During this internship, I hope to broaden and deepen my understanding of the Wellesley landscape and become more aware of my place and impact upon the natural community. It fascinates me how easy it is to forget our place in respect to our natural environments, when that is precisely where we get our nourishment and life force. Through this opportunity, I intend to cultivate deeper awareness and actively work to remember and take care of the vast intricacy of the natural world. Ultimately, I hope to consciously and harmoniously weave myself into it.

 

LIZ

Liz is a triplet who grew up and is currently residing in a New England town along Long Island Sound and on the New Haven line to New York City. She is a senior at Wellesley majoring in computer science and is one credit short of a religion or english minor.

On campus, she finds a family away from home in her dorm, Bates Hall, as well as on the ultimate frisbee team, the Whiptails (many species of whiptail lizards are all-female). Liz works on campus as a bike share intern for Wellesley’s bike share program. She enjoys the poetry scene at Wellesley and hosted a couple video chat poetry readings during Quarantine. Additionally, Liz watched lots of tv during Quarantine: God Friended Me, Brooklyn 99, Atypical, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Dear White People and Ramy. She also read: Falter by Bill McKibben and National Geographic EARTH DAY 50th ANNIVERSARY Special Issue.

Liz was inspired to apply to the Paulson Ecology Initiative Summer Internship because she has been interested in climate change since 5th grade (it’s in writing), enjoyed working outside for Wellesley’s Sustainability Office and wanted to apply her studies and skills towards something that could make a difference in the Earth. She is grateful for this opportunity and is excited to see the end result of her independent project.

Finally, she urges you to buy stamps and send mail, if you are able, in order to save the United States Postal Service.

 

LILY

greetings, oh fellow environmentally-inclined peers

I live on a small sheep farm in rural Appalachia (Athens, Ohio to be exact). My family tends to a garden teeming with a vast array of vegetables (or more accurately, my *parents* do the tending; I myself generally “harvest” which really means “eat the vegetables” ….but I digress). On our farm, several ducks stroll through the apple orchard, a flock of chickens squawk at ungodly hours of the night, and our black lab — Ellie — runs haphazardly through the beds of kale. I enjoy taking naps in the garden on Summer afternoons, often using a long, boring book as a makeshift pillow. When conscious, I dabble in running, biking, making elaborate omelets from duck eggs and observing the twitter accounts of my favorite poets. Occasionally, I unicycle down the meandering dusty road near my house. Often, I remove birds trapped in our wood stove (they fly in through the chimney… it’s quite unfortunate). Since my internet functions at the pace of dying, elderly snail, I generally read or simply stare at walls rather than *sigh* consume online entertainment, which has left me tragically out of the loop in regards to ….Everything.

Another Fun and Exciting Fact which I tried to incorporate into the above paragraph but to no avail: my family uses a composting toilet!! it’s really excellent, would recommend.

At Wellesley, I’m a class of 2022 Environmental Studies/English major who is thoroughly incompetent in the realm of STEM. You may have seen me on the stage during WCT’s Indecent as a very passionate rabbi, on the frisbee field valiantly attempting (and epically failing) to play frisbee, or reciting poetry as part of Wellesley’s CUPSI team. Or perhaps you have seen me eating a sandwich in the English department hallway, as I am wont to do.

 

MIRACLE

Hello, My name is Ruvimbo Taanarwo. I am in the class of 2023. Nature is a very fundamental part of who l am because l use it to relate to everyday things that happen around us . Take for example an ecosystem is defined as a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. The part that is of interest to me is community which means working together and this is something very essential in our community. Nature has a deeper resemblance of how and why creation functions the way it does but it takes a connection to nature’s lenses to be able to see that.

My first connection with nature was when I visited Victoria Falls which is one of the seven wonders of the world. Just seeing water flowing carefreely and the same water turning turbines to generate electricity it spoke volumes to me about oneness and help each other thrive which is a key component of the economy of nature.

 

KAYLI

Howdy, everyone ! *Tips hat in peaceful Southern hospitality*

My name is Kayli Hattley (she/her/hers) and I’m class of 2022 and a Biochemistry major at Wellesley. I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, which means I grew up going to the Rodeo, eating barbeque, and sipping sweet tea…by the gallon. When I’m not baking in the Texas heat or overusing the word y’all, I like to spend my time with my two younger sisters and my puppy papillon, Kirby. While at home, I’ve been using my time to practice my drumset and guitar skills and even teach my siblings some shredding skills so we can start a family band and go big like the Jonas brothers. Similarly, back on campus, I take lessons for drumset, African/ Haitian style drumming, and violin. I’m also a part of orgs such as Wellesley College Television (WCTV), do biology research, and I am a Posse Scholar. When I’m not jamming out to music or hanging out with friends, I spend most of my time at the Global Flora Greenhouse taking care of the fish (mostly talking to them and teaching cool fish tricks) in the Mangrove Tank or wearing scrubs and counting pills at CVS as a pharmacy technician. In reality, I’m an easy-going, fun-loving, joke-telling girl, who is passionate about science and learning. This summer with the Paulson Initiative internship, I hope to push myself out of my comfort zone and broaden my skill set. I especially want to learn what eco-literacy means and how I can better connect and appreciate the environment around me.

~Y’all Come Back Now, You Hear,

Kayli

*Rides off into the Sunset*

 

PHOEBE

Phoebe Shea Pérez is a rising Sophomore at Wellesley. She’s native to Santa María Tzejá, Guatemala, but more recently has been living in Apopka, Florida. Being Maya K’iche’ on her mother’s side, she is particularly invested in researching and highlighting indigenous perspectives and experiences across fields and disciplines. She loves learning and unlearning history, challenging the frameworks she employs for making sense of the world around her, and rendering the learning process simultaneously communal and intimately personal. When she’s at Wellesley, she loves taking ~dramatic~ walks around Lake Waban, volunteering at the Natick Community Organic Farm, and spending way too much time at her professors’ office hours. In general, she enjoys writing poetry, studying K’iche’, and learning to cook iconic Guatemalan dishes.

After moving to Wellesley in September, and unexpectedly developing a close relationship with the natural composition and the selective historical aliveness of the Campus, Phoebe developed a fascination for questions regarding place, identity, and the histories we choose to guard in our collective memory. This summer, she looks forward to deepening her understanding of, and relationship with, the plants, animals, and living beings that have been members of her community in Apopka for far longer than she has, and to learn more about the black and indigenous histories of Central Florida.