1. Incoming Reflection - What are your initial expectations of
Colloquium?
As a Floridian, and being raised by my hippie father,
exploring natures plunders has always been an integral part of my life. Whether
it was sauntering as a beach bum, jeopardizing my innocence on airboat rides in
the Everglades or exploring trails around the state, I have always felt as if I
have had a good moral standing with nature. Exploring these assorted environments
aided in molding my understanding of how precious nature and her resources are
and even, if I dare say, have fashioned me into a tree hugger.
My sister and I eyes were open to the diverse beauty
in nature from Florida and North Carolina to Europe and Australia, but my
favorite memories and experiences with the cosmos was camping. One summer we
camped for a month with two other families, encountering different landscapes
and adventures. Tree climbing was our favorite activity and let me tell you, it
was invigorating as a young girl. Camping
is one of the closest enterprises to be in tune with a surrounding ecosystem and
being surrounded by nature has always felt like home.
Having a friendly relationship with nature makes me
excited for this class. I hope to see different
parts of Florida’s treasures that I perhaps haven’t had a chance to encounter
and the perspectives that they hold. I am really trusting that this will not be
another cookie cutter class with no exploration of the outside world. What I would love to see is another
understanding of the view of nature and see if it can be melted into the rigors
of engineering. Nature is whimsical, poetic and free whereas engineering offers
direct solutions backed by laws of science. I hope to be a part of bettering
nature and its stability in all aspects of my life and con not wait to aid in a
big way.
