Kathryn Peterson

What is your major? Community and organizational development with certificates in education policy and the integrative design of natural and built environments

Expected graduation: May 2027

What inspired your interest in the environment and/or community? My love for the environment began as a young girl during long summers spent with my cousins at our family’s quiet, secluded cottage in Michigan. Surrounded by acres of wild nature, we filled our days with endless swimming, fishing, frog hunting, and running around outdoors. We often hiked on enormous sand dunes to Lake Michigan, and year after year, I stood in awe of the beauty of our vast environment, the intricacy of its functions, and the diversity among its many ecosystems.

During my junior year of high school, I took an AP environmental science course that opened my eyes to urgent environmental issues — such as climate change, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, declining ecosystem services, and the ethical concerns of global warming. I left that class feeling a deep sense of frustration, but passion too, as I felt a strong responsibility to use my love for the environment to protect, preserve, and share its beauty.

As I came to college, I began learning how different communities view, interact with, and think of the environment, which sparked my interest in studying the intersection of communities and the environment to better understand issues of sustainability, conservation, and environmental use and protection.