After my third semester at Brown, I have really come into my own. I decided on my major at the end of my second semester, landing on a degree in environmental science and studies. This fall, I took Diversity of Life, Humans, Nature, and the Environment: Addressing Environmental Change in the 21st Century, Eating and the Politics of Wellness, and Local Food Systems and Urban Agriculture. I have found a passion for engaged scholarship classes where I can work with the broader Providence community. Two of these classes allowed me to create my own projects with community partners to apply what I have learned in class. I collaborated with a local community garden to create workshops on teaching community members about herbalism and worked with New Shoreham Waste Water Management to reduce the amount of grease ending up in wastewater systems. I am still an active member of the Brown Climbing Club and have found rock climbing to be a source of wonderful community and a way to destress with my strenuous workload.The friends I have met at school have become like family to me, and we spent many weekends of the semester exploring New England with trips to New Hampshire to hike the White Mountains, swimming at Walden Pond and visiting the Vineyard! I continue to be very fond of Brown’s open curriculum, as I do have many requirements to fulfill for my major, however, I can still take class in any discipline where I have room. I have taken courses in urban studies, religious studies and science, technology, and society (STS). Additionally, I am currently in the process of applying to study abroad in Copenhagen to study the production and consumption of sustainable food. I am so thankful and filled with gratitude for MVYouth’s continued support and I’m looking forward to my fourth semester this spring!