Growing up in Seattle, I was always surrounded by the beauty of the Puget Sound and the Rocky Mountains. It was during my time in Washington — hiking up to Lake 22 or adventuring around Mt. Rainier — that I came to realize my appreciation for the environment. I knew that the beautiful spectacles of nature in Washington, with their lush vegetation and fragile ecosystems, were something worth protecting. This is what inspired my enrollment at Mines. During my time at Mines, I have focused primarily on studying thermodynamic energy systems and sustainability case studies with the hope of one day being able to work in renewable energy research and development. I hope to use the intersection of sustainability’s history along with a consummate technical understanding of energy generation to make renewable energy more viable in our developing world. Maybe, just maybe, Mines will be the driving force to help me do my part in making the world a little greener for generations to come.