Miranda Ulrichs '17 Recruiting Profile

Very early in my life I developed a passion for conservation. Like many children, I loved being outdoors. When I am immersed in nature I feel safe and relaxed. In the fall of my sophomore year, my high school physics teacher approached me with an amazing opportunity. He told me about a semester school whose curriculum focused on conservation and environmental stewardship. I applied and soon was awarded a James R. Lowenstine scholarship to attend Conserve School in Land O’ Lakes Wisconsin.

When I arrived at Conserve School I felt nervous to be in an unfamiliar environment. I was also excited to start a new adventure and make long lasting friendships with like-minded people. Little did I know there would be some incredible challenges ahead. The semester I attended was during the winter months, which in Northern Wisconsin brings temperatures ranging from ten degrees to negative thirty degrees. A typical school day lasted eight hours, most of them spent outside doing activities like cutting blocks of ice out of a frozen lake and learning survival skills. Despite the below freezing weather I enjoyed learning about the environment in this unique climate. In addition to the physical challenges, I was also challenged mentally.

I had never been away from home this long without my family and being an only child I have never had to share a room before. While at Conserve School I lived in a dorm with thirty nine other girls. My dorm room was a Jack-&-Jill style, two rooms separated by a private bathroom. I not only had to adjust my personal hygiene habits to accommodate a roommate, I had to get used to sharing space with a roommate who liked quiet when studying, while I enjoy music in the background. When we were required to work in our rooms, I would wear headphones while studying. The coursework was rigorous at Conserve School and I had to adjust quickly how I studied the material to keep up. The first few weeks were a tough adjustment, but it did not take long for me to make friends and find a study group that shared similar learning practices. I learned to love the close knit community that Conserve was. Even though I was away from my family, living with such a large group of people made me feel like I had gained a new one.

At the end of the semester the entire student body went on a week-long camping trip. Groups of ten backpacked and canoed into the Sylvania Wilderness to show off the field skills we had learned throughout the semester. We followed the rules of leave no trace, helped each other stay positive when things were not going well, cared for each other when someone got hurt and made sure no one was left behind. In addition each member of the team helped set up and break down camp each day and took turns making meals. On one of the days, our group decided to complete a seven lake loop in our canoes. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on our side, and it rained the entire time. I had sacrificed my heavy rain gear to make space in my backpack for food and an additional layer of warm clothes. I had a light jacket with me that became soaked quickly. Our group leader recognized that I was becoming hypothermic, and he gave me his rain jacket. In addition to the rain, we were overrun with mosquitoes. It was suggested that we jump into the water to rid ourselves of the pesky insects. This only compounded my mild hypothermia. During this experience I imagined myself working in the field, and was glad to have had this happen while with my friends at Conserve School, so that I would be better prepared next time.  At the end of the week I had a better sense of what it would be like to be an environmental scientist in the field. This experience also made me more aware of how important nature is to me.

I recently took a tour of a college campus. While on the tour, the guide and I were discussing the construction of a new stadium. She told me how they did not have any plans yet for the old one and I suggested that instead of tearing it down and causing further damage to the land, that they should make a community garden on the field. While at Conserve School we worked on several stewardship projects that focused on the conservation of natural areas. I learned that a community garden is a great way to bring the community together and offer a unique opportunity to educate the public about the importance of protecting our environment. 

Environmental science is an important element in understanding the world we live in. We must learn how to balance human existence and the preservation of our resources and the planet for future generations. Pursuing a degree in environmental science will give me the opportunity to continue to be a steward for the environment. My hope is to share my love for nature with others and instill a strong appreciation for conservation that leads to a desire to consciously protect the planet.