Well, now. It has been a while indeed. In the past semester, quite a lot has occurred. First of all, I've graduated from St. Olaf College. As many people say, it goes by quickly. I won't summarize all of my thoughts on graduation just yet. I suspect that it may take more time for thought than I've yet acquired. However, in the meantime I would suggest that you read my Senior Reflection piece in the St. Olaf College Biology newsletter, BIOMASS. That reflection can be found here.

I ought to have kept better track of events pre-graduation, but as those who know me will assert, college kept me very busy. This last semester was extremely challenging for me, and I will be honest when I say that I did not sleep overmuch! Nevertheless, for the moment I will list the positives, of which I am glad to say there are quite a few! Besides graduating, I am very excited to say that I achieved Distinction in History for my history major, completing very long research paper titled "Rights for Plants; A Historical Discussion of Plant-Life and Western Thought." Shortly, I will place a copy of my distinction essay here. I worked closely with Professor Laurel Carrington, who acted as my advisor during this process, and I shared many wonderful conversations with her over the course of the past few months. I should say here that I also owe a great debt to the entirety of the St. Olaf history department, for all of their openness and support over the years. There are a handful of professors in particular whose courses I have had the privilege to take, and I hope that they know how much they have contributed to my own development as a critical thinker.

I am also proud to say that I finished my NCAA track and field career with a personal best in the 800m run. I also came in 7th at Outdoor MIACS at Concordia-Moorhead, a feat that (I think) few expected of me, but which I certainly expected of myself--in fact, it was my aim to win, expectations and pragmatics aside, but I will for the moment have to settle. I am hoping to continue running, and perhaps someday even to better my times.

And believe it or not, I've also become a published illustrator! Ms. Lisa Larrive, an Olaf alumna, selected me back in late January as an illustrator for her children's book, titled Grateful for Gluten-Free. Based in part on her own experiences as a celiac, she wrote a story to help children unable to eat gluten containing foods feel special. I would like to thank Lisa for selecting me, and for working with me! Her book is for sale here at Amazon. It contains a set of 20 watercolor illustrations.

Now perhaps for the most exciting news of all. In April I learned that I received the Fulbright grant that I had applied for so long ago in October, way back at the beginning of the academic year. It is an immense honor!! In September I will be headed to Hokkaido University in Sapporo (Hokkaido, Japan) to participate in forest ecology and global warming research. Here is the St. Olaf article. I owe a great deal to the kindness and assistance of Professor Takayoshi Koike of Hokkaido University, who I cannot wait to meet. I also owe a great deal to many professors at St. Olaf who have helped me along the way. I will be certain to write about my time in Japan. I have never traveled outside of the United States (and I have traveled very little even within the U.S.) so it is sure to be an experience, but one that I am certainly looking forward to. I cannot express my gratitude to the Fulbright Program enough; if it were not for this grant, I know that it is very unlikely that I would have the opportunity to see Japan. I cannot wait to see Hokkaido!

More to come, soon!

P.S. Here are some pictures I just can't help but share from track, my truest love!