Getting here:

I heard out about COA through my college counselor during the application process (I’m unsure of how he found out about COA, but he’s amazing!) After hearing about COA, I did thorough research online, learned more about the Human Ecology degree, visited the college in-person and realized that continuing my interdisciplinary education (I was in an IB high school before this) was something I wanted and would put me in a great spot once I graduated college. COA is positively unique and was one of the schools that stood out the most to me on my application list. 

Being a person with multiple interests, I also loved that at COA accommodates paving your own course of study and figuring out how everything is interconnected along the way. Add that to the small community and three amazing sources of nature in COA’s backyard, (on an island, next to a national park and by the beautiful Atlantic Ocean) and I was sold! 

Classes

Freshman Year 

Fall 2019 - Introductory Entomology, College Seminar: Truth, Music Fundamentals 

Winter 2019 - Methods of Community Development, Nature, Humans and Philosophy, Politics and the Supreme Court 

Spring 2020 - Learning a Language on Your Own, Dramatic Writing, Human Ecology Core Course 

Sophomore Year

Fall 2020 - International Wildlife Policy and Protected Areas, Scenes and Songs, Sustainable Strategies 

Winter 2021 - Introduction to the Legal Process, Animals and Ethics, Polar Ecology 

Spring 2021 - World Percussion, Environmental Law, Worlds Beyond the Human: Multispecies Justice 

Junior Year 

Fall 2021 Performance and Ecology: What can Theatre Do?, Kinetic Sculpture, Equity and Social Justice in Education 

Winter 2022 - Introduction to Economics and the Economy, Environmental History, Dissecting Popular Music  

Spring 2022 - Conservation Biology, The Cold War: Later Years, Intro to Natural Resource Management 

Favorite class:

All of my favorites in the past two years: 

Art - Dramatic Writing (SP-20),  Scenes and Songs (FA-20),  World Percussion (SP-21) and Performance and Ecology: What can Theater Do? (FA-21), Kinetic Sculpture (FA-22),  Dissecting Popular Music (WI-22)  

Business -  Sustainable Strategies (FA-20)

Animals and the Environment - Nature, Humans and Philosophy (WI-20), Animals and Ethics (WI-21), Environmental Law (SP-21), Worlds Beyond the Human: Multispecies Justice (SP-21), Environmental History (WI-22) 

My approach to human ecology:

Art + empathy and expression + philosophy + environmental studies = Human Ecology 

Activities, traditions, celebrations:

Black Student Union, BIPOC Support Group, watching the sunset, sailing on the ocean, hiking, biking and foraging, Open Mic, playing in the Maine snow, knitting, Fireside Fridays and Spring Time Teatime. 

Passions & motivations:

The performing arts, environmental studies, learning new languages (and my beautiful Garífuna language!), travelling, new culinary experiences

Best meal on campus:

Wednesday brunch’s blueberry pancakes! (I <3 these so much!) 

COA might be the right college for you if...

You have multiple interests, looking to combine different fields of study, or want to find what you’re passionate in. 

Ephemera:

Sunny days and warm weather (here, days like that are a blessing). Conversations about what human ecology means to others. The glistening of the sun on the ocean. The spring flowers, sunshine while foraging. Sitting and reflecting in one of the campus gardens. Blankets of freshly fallen snow in Winter. The calming sound of the waves and…

 

Participating in endless opportunity in such a small place <3