Grace Lahti will graduate in April from the Program in the Environment (PitE), a collaboration between the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. She specialized in mineralogy and earth and environmental science.

What drew you to PitE?

Freshman year I took a seminar called National Parks and the Environmental Idea taught by Philip D'Anieri. It was the only “fun class” I had in my schedule that semester, as I was originally planning to major in chemical engineering. His class inspired me to pursue PitE instead, going all in on my dreams of creating a more sustainable world. I was drawn to PitE because I loved the holistic approach the curriculum took to a degree in the environment. PitE informs students on not only the science behind global ecosystems but also the systemic injustices that are woven into the field. Combining my PitE major with earth and environmental science has given me a well-rounded education, providing historical and political context to a typical environmental science and geology education. 

What have been some highlights of your time at PitE? 

All four years of college, I’ve attended an ice climbing festival called Michigan Ice Fest in Munising. This year, I signed up for a college climbers clinic at the festival, which focused on connecting college-aged climbers and teaching us some of the basics of ice climbing. I was lucky enough to run into a cohort of SEAS students who were joining the clinic as a fun addition to their trip after presenting their research at Northern Michigan University. As always, when I meet Michigan students in the wild, I was impressed with how friendly and interesting each and every one of them was. The people in PitE and SEAS are so passionate about their niches within the broader environmental field. I will always appreciate how much I can learn from my peers in this school. 

What has your experience at PitE been like? 

The Dana Building has acted as a sort of “home base” throughout my college career. It was the place where I first felt myself aligning with my major during my freshman year seminar. I’ve come back time and time again for its cozy studying atmosphere and, of course, for classes. As the years have passed, Dana has become a social hub for me, as friends of mine from both PitE and SEAS fill the chairs in the commons area. 

In addition, I was lucky enough to take the Environmental Journalism course taught by Emilia Askari and Julie Halpert, two incredibly talented journalists. Throughout this course, we worked on our final article with a potential hope of publishing it. After picking my topic of rock snot, a type of algae affecting Michigan waterways, I got to work contacting aquatic biologists, science communicators and fly fishing guides in order to tell the story as effectively as possible. The most fun part of the research process for me was when fly-fishing guide Brian Kozminski was kind enough to allow me to join him and aquatic biologist Sam Day for an impromptu day out on the river. I’m a photographer at The Michigan Daily, and so it was incredibly fun for me to go out into the field with them to photograph the story I had been working on. At the end of the semester Julie and Emilia encouraged me to try to get my article published, and so I worked with them on edits to my final paper before being connected with the editor at Bridge Michigan who agreed to take the piece. I had a call with Bridge’s editor, and we discussed the changes he had made and bigger picture ideas for how to best structure the article for impact and clarity. I really enjoyed this part of the process, as I was working as the senior multimedia editor at The Michigan Daily at the time, so getting edits on my own work was a fantastic opportunity to learn as both a writer and an editor. After the final rounds my piece was published and I quickly shared it with friends, family and my sources for the article. 

Would you recommend PitE to incoming students?

I would absolutely recommend PitE to incoming students! It’s such a fantastic major for students looking to dual major. It provides a great background on environmental science and humanities topics that are incredibly relevant to the modern world, no matter your major. 

What advice do you have for incoming students? 

Soak up every opportunity this university has to offer. Chances are if there’s something you’ve been wanting to try, this school has it. Top-notch research? We’ve got it. An award-winning student newspaper? We’ve got it. A club focused on surfing the Great Lakes? We’ve got it. I think the beauty of a big school like Michigan is the conglomeration of intelligent and incredibly fun students with diverse interests. No matter how niche of a hobby I’ve gotten into during my time at Michigan I’ve always found someone else who’s willing to do it with me. 

What are your plans after graduation?

I’ll be backpacking Southeast Asia with some of my friends in May and I’m going to be finishing up my degrees at Camp Davis in Montana for the month of July. Following my summer plans, I hope to continue my role as an environmental scientist with the company Freeport-McMoRan, as I worked an internship with them last summer that was extended remotely throughout the school year.