We have all heard the phrase “Go Green,” referring to the many recent urgings to take actions that help the environment and preserve the resources of our world. What exactly does it mean to be green, though? Our newest camps celebrity is Nell Gable, a senior here at Michigan, who believes that being green starts from simply being outside and enjoying the many benefits of the environment around us. Nell is a nature enthusiast, who has taken her passion for the outdoors and the environment to an entirely new level. She has become a published blogger for MyNorth.com, the online home of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine. Her blogs are interesting and unique, and teach readers everywhere about the importance of exploring the environment around you—a skill Nell mastered during her time in the beautiful and rich lands of Northern Michigan this summer. To add to Nell’s endlessly interesting experiences with the outdoors, she chose to spend an additional 8 weeks of her summer at the University of Michigan Biostation, an opportunity offered by the university for students looking to live and learn in the heart of nature. Nell continues to write about her interests through many different publications, making her a talented writer and nature-lover, who is more than worthy of a campus celebrity title. I sat down with Nell to learn more about all of the fascinating things that she does, and was certainly inspired to spend my free time in the good ol’ outdoors.
1. What is your major here at Michigan?
I am a History major, with a minor in Program in the Environment (PITE).
2. What got you interested in studying both history and PITE?
Well, my mom is a big environmentalist, so I grew up with the environment constantly in the back of my mind. I have always been interested in history, so that was an obvious choice for my major because it allowed me to utilize my love for writing. But, I started taking PITE classes when I came to Michigan, and they were always my favorite. They just seemed the most relevant and most interesting—plus, I love being outside so that’s the biggest thing that attracted me to the program.
3. What are you involved with, both on campus and beyond?
The biggest thing I have done so far at Michigan was attending the University of Michigan Biostation this past summer. When I was there, I wrote a research paper on Canids, which was published in Traverse Magazine. With the help of the mentors I met at the biostation, I did an independent research project the semester after I got back to school on wolf reintroduction into the United States under one of my professors. All of these experiences helped me to work for Traverse Magazine this past summer as an editorial intern. After gaining so much writing experience through this internship, I shifted my career focus to communications and writing, because I did a ton of blogging, editing and web articles. I then followed my interest in writing and wrote an article for the Michigan Alumni Magazine called “Michigan Today.” Now, I blog for the University of Michigan Career Center, and do a lot of freelance work.
*Writer’s note: For all you non-animal oriented Her Campus readers out there (don’t worry, I’m one of them), Canids are member of the Family Canidae, which includes dogs, wolves, coyotes, and jackals. Here is a link to Nell’s original piece on wolves, where she explains this way better than I can! Link: http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78458/1/Gable_Nell_2010.pdf
4. Can you tell me a little bit more about the UM Biostation? It sounds like quite an interesting experience.
My time at the biostation ended up being the most formative experience of my life. The station is located in Pellston, Michigan on Douglas Lake, where we lived for 8 weeks in cabins in the woods. Basically, you take all of your classes outside and they are all really small, so everyone in the program got very close. Because my main interest was wolves/coyotes, it was amazing that at this time in the summer, the animals were in the same woods we were living in. Mainly, we set up cameras where we thought they were going to be, and attempted to catch them on video.
5. Wow, my first reaction to that is, were you ever scared of having a run-in with a wolf or coyote?!
Well, sometimes when I was walking alone at night, I would think “wow, an animal could totally come eat me right now!” But, for the most part, I was fine because I was just so interested in the topic.
6. You said your time at the biostation was the most formative experience of your life. Can you elaborate on that?
I entered into the station as a non-science major, which was a bit intimidating at first. I was this sorority girl amidst a bunch of hardcore scientists! But, that ended up being one of the greatest parts about my experience, because I learned so much from everyone. Through the biostation, I found a topic I was passionate about and started writing about it on my own, which turned into something published, which turned into a job, which is now my chosen career path! Also, the experience as a whole was just so different from anything that I had done before. My freshman and sophomore years were filled with the same monotonous routine, so I was really just ready for a change. My time at the biostation was amazing because I got the opportunity to combine being outside and being connected with nature, with being able to follow my passion and do creative things with it. The best times at the station were the nights when we just sat around and looked at the stars, so when I finally came home, I actually couldn’t be inside!
7. That definitely sounds like an incredible time for you. I’m curious about how you found out about the biostation in the first place, though. What inspired you to spend 8 weeks of your summer there?
One of my friends a year older than me inspired me to go because she had been there, and never stopped talking about how amazing it was. I had always been passionate about the environment, and being able to take classes outside sounded really cool to me. It was the perfect way to diversify my college experience.
8. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? What do you hope to be doing?
Well, I know I want to be writing. I feel that the best way to teach others about better environmental practices and share my passion is to be able to write and specifically write persuasively to really convey what I believe. I want people to read my writing, and be convinced that being outside is honestly just the best thing you can do for yourself. Also, I am really interested in social media, which is a big part of my communication-oriented writing. A big part of my job at the career center here on campus is to write about social media, and getting people to change the way that they give and receive information.
9. Here’s your chance to tell our Her Campus readers one thing they should do to change the way they interact with the environment. What is one final thing you want to leave people with?
Honestly, it is very simple: Everyone should just go outside and enjoy it. Just being outdoors affects the way you think about nature and what it means to you. I truly believe that everyone can find something fulfilling about being outside.
As a huge fan of Nell’s writing, I encourage all of you to check out some of her pieces. My personal favorite is her blog from when she studied abroad in Italy, which I monitored constantly and was always anxiously awaiting the newest update on her experiences! She truly inspired me to make the most of my study abroad time next semester. Here are the links to her numerous writing samples:
* Study Abroad Blog:
http://nellinitaly.blogspot.com/
* Career Center Blog:
http://blog.careercenter.dsa.umich.edu/tag/senior-struggles/
* MyNorth.com Blog:
http://community.mynorth.com/profiles/blog/list?user=1myywlfhd624r
* “Michigan Today” Article:
http://michigantoday.umich.edu/2011/09/story.php?id=8044
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mich chapter.