Hometo
wn: Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability
Minor: Economics
Favorite LC Event: Chicago Professional Development Trip
Hey, everyone! My name is Jackson Howard and I am a first-year, honors student pursuing a major in Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainability and a minor in economics. My interests include listening to vinyl, pretending to know about plants, and attempting to be vegan every once in a while.
Before coming to college, I would hear students discuss how the hardest part of pursuing a degree in higher education is the difficulty of classes or being away from home for long periods of time, but these are not exactly true. In all actuality, the hardest part of college is finding a niche within one’s major, it is meeting professors and faculty who can assist with one’s specific interest, and, above all, it is finding opportunities. SUSTAINS solves these issues.
From monthly dinner and dialogues to talking with faculty during survey, SUSTAINS provides opportunities to network and discover sides of sustainability which other students simply do not have. The most auspicious and beneficial opportunity which SUSTAINS provides is the yearly fall-break trip which, this year, took place in Chicago. The three-day trip composed of meeting with sustainable companies and groups such as Testa Produce, Invenergy, Tishman Speyer, and Alliance for the Great Lakes. Along with meeting with individuals from these groups, we visited the Museum of Science and Industry, the Chicago Conservatory, and had time to explore the Magnificent Mile and other areas in our free time. The experiences and opportunities that are gained from the fall trip are extremely beneficial in not only networking but also in finding one’s niche within sustainability.