Hi, I'm Dessie! I'm a second year student going for a POE in Environmental Science and Sustainability. I grew up in West Chester PA (about an hour's drive west of Philadelphia) but very much an outdorsy kid. I have been going on camping, hiking, biking, and canoeing trips since I was little and have always loved being out in nature since.

Throughout my life I've come to understand that humans are meant to be a part of nature and many of societies standards and methods have worked so hard to remove us. I believe that it's up to each person to find ways to reintegrate both themselves into the natural world and the natural world into them. To me, the former means to work and make humanity more sustainable whether that's through petitions, protesting, changing policy or societal norms. The latter being to know the input and outputs of your consumption.

I have done a lot of work on a challenge course and have been honing my skills as an experimental educator for about 4 and a half years now, and I also work at the Raystown Sugar Shack during the spring! My future is currently up in the air between being an environmental scientist and working a challenge course, but my main goal is to be confident that the work I do in the future is meaningful and impactful.

I have had a lot of hobbies and they have a tendency to change but some of the ones that have stuck are baking (all of my teeth are sweet teeth 🍰) and reading. A fun fact about me is that there is a 95% chance you can show me any animal and I will be excited so long as I'm not surprised! Yes that includes insects ❤️