#NCWhatsNext
- Marissa Neitzke has accepted a competitive internship with the Coral Restoration Foundation where she'll be working on elkhorn and staghorn coral restoration projects while educating kids about the importance of marine conservation in Key Largo, Florida.
- Geology and natural resources major Erin Bergen has been accepted into the into the University of Minnesota-Duluth integrated biosciences graduate program. “I don’t have a specific project yet but I will be working at the intersections of geology, hydrology, and ecology—just the thing Northland has prepared me for!”
- Mary Sellars who was just accepted to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. "I'm over the moon," she said. She plans to use her DVM to study human wildlife conflict and epidemiology and work with wildlife conservation as climate change continues to influence ecosystems. ⠀
- Water Science major Max Beal has accepted a PhD position in the freshwater and marine sciences program at UW Madison where he'll be working to develop and implement prediction models for toxic cyanobacteria blooms in Lake Mendota and a few other lakes around Wisconsin. Beal arrived at Northland College with a strong interest in natural resources and wildlife— but being near Lake Superior, “I found the interactions between lakes, rivers, and the surrounding landscape fascinating,” he said.
- Liandra Skenandore will be researching the Haudenosaunee as part of a summer internship with the American Philosophical Society, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Native American Scholars Initiative. An English major, Liandra is currently applying to graduate schools to study the various forms of sovereignty expressed in Native American literature. “My goal is to help others understand why Indigenous literature matter,” she said.
- Megan Mader is headed to grad school at Grand Valley State University to pursue her master in biology with an aquatic science focus. "I'm excited to be a laker," she says. ? In June, she begins work at the Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute at GVSU, where she'll continue her Great Lakes coastal wetland ecology research. ⠀
- Education major and basketball player Danon Briggs will be student teaching in the fall. He’ll also be coaching his second season as head coach of the Ashland High School boys C basketball team.
- For May Term, Erica Anderson will be headed to South Africa for an internship with Pejamies—a South African female-run clothing brand—and an independent study course focused on South African business, public policy, and social media marketing. Erica will be attending Arizona State University to pursue a master of public policy with an emphasis in environmental policy.
- Patrick Shea has been accepted to grad school at the University of Montana, studying natural resource journalism. Pat is an avid biker and traveler with a knack for communicating science. In 2017, Pat biked from Northland College to New Orleans. This summer he’s biking from here to Newfoundland.
- Michelle Morency has accepted a position as water quality specialist at the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation. She'll spend the summer working at a DNR-certified lab, testing water samples from the Chequamegon Bay for E.Coli, nitrates, phosphates, and other contaminants. "My work in the lab will help ensure everyone can swim safe in the bay this summer," she said.
- Aidan Reilly will be working with the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation this summer conducting research and working on communication initiatives to help others better understand the impact of water in their everyday lives and the work that goes on in the Burke Center. "I hope to utilize the communication skills I’ve developed in Northland’s English and writing departments to help explain those threats and the importance of our continued research efforts," he said.
- Ruby Sevilla has an art exhibit Forest Folk at Salmagundi through the month of April. After graduation, she'll be moving home to Minneapolis to seek a position as an art studio technician.
- Frank Wroblewski participated in an internship the NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Internship at the Lunar Planetary Institute, where he was assigned the task of looking at the radar properties on Venus. Frank presented his findings at two conferences this past year and is the lead author on three academic papers. He is currently applying to planetary PhD programs.
- Karlee Prince has accepted an internship through the USGS and National Association of Geoscience Teachers. She'll be working in Reston, Virginia, with a USGS scientist on sediment cores and the drought history of the Southeast. ⠀
- Will Otte will be pursuing a master of science in biology at Northern Michigan University. This summer, he'll work aboard the USGS research vessel Kiyi and a few other research vessels from across Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. “I'm very excited to be working on Lake Superior and to begin building on the foundation of fisheries experience I developed as a student at Northland,” he said.
- Clair Emmons is currently the assistant director for the Apostle Islands School at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. This summer she will transition into an SOEI fellowship, leading middle to early high school students on outdoor adventures like sailing in the Apostles, canoeing on the Namekagon River, rock climbing, and a week of aquatic ecology.
- Gabe Thornton will be starting his career off at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute as a program support fellow for the Apostle Islands School in May. After graduation, he'll transition to a summer fellowship co-leading backpacking, sailing, and ecology exploration trips for the SOEI summer high school program.
- Hailey Keen starts work soon at The Nature Conservancy, conducting prairie restoration. Hailey studied biology and natural resources (ecological restoration) and has interned at the Cable Community Farm, Ashland School District's Farm-to-School program, and Sweet Top Farm. She eventually plans to pursue a graduate degree in soil science or agroecology.
- Geoscience and mathematics major Schmitty Smith will be entering a geoscience PhD program in geology at Oregon State University in the fall. This summer, Schmitty will be writing a paper (as first author) with Dave Ullman, assistant professor of geoscience, on their research on global glacier volume during interglacial periods
- Sustainable Community Development major Lily Sevilla has worked as a researcher at the Center for Rural Communities, as a gardener with the campus garden crew, and has been key to the campus recycling program. For her final project, she focused on the perils of fast fashion on Bangladesh women. She recently accepted a position at Prairie Drifter Farm in Litchfield, Minnesota.
- Natural Resources major John Hermus is headed to Anchorage, Alaska, for a position with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, working on a six-month project looking into the effects of the warming climate on the natural production of cold water salmon species. This photo of John with a chinook salmon was taken when he worked for a summer in Idaho.
- Isa Meyers plans pursue graduate studies related to forest vegetation and/or Anishinaabe ethnobotany in the future. But, first, she'll be getting married in September and moving to Madeline Island.
- Jane Dahlgren and her partner are currently renovating an old van and planning on traveling out west and living out of it for the summer. “I’m interested in pursuing a career in women’s health and birthwork, but for now am looking forward to as much time playing outside as possible,” she said.
- Outdoor Ed major Colton Schinstock will be moving to Florida in two weeks to work as an apprentice instructor with Outward Bound's at-risk youth program, leading canoe trips.
- Saige Thornley will be teaching English as a second language in Taiwan in the fall. This summer you can find the 2019 grad (completed in three years!) at the boat docks of Bayfield County conducting surveys for the DNR program, Clean Boats, Clean Waters.
- Emily Nielsen has been accepted into multiple law schools for the fall. She's still contemplating her choices but right now, St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is at the top of her list. Emily majored in history and minored in sociology.
- Meteorology senior Ty Vaughn has accepted a position with the National Weather Service in Atlanta! Ty interned with the National Weather Service in Milwaukee last summer and in Duluth this past year.
- Katie Taylor has been accepted into multiple forensic science graduate programs, where she will focus on forensic chemistry. She credits Nancy Drew mysteries and crime TV shows like NCIS for introducing her to the field. “My interest in science led me to look into the forensic science side rather than the sleuthing aspect of the criminal justice system,” she said. Taylor majored in chemistry and biology.