When I first arrived at the University of Washington, I was very unsure of myself and my place at

this institution. I had been accepted to the college of Engineering but wasn’t sure if it was really what I
wanted to do. I had been accepted to the Honors program, but I didn’t know if I had time to commit to
it. I had made a very risky decision to go to a university across the country, and out of state tuition is
expensive enough that I didn’t feel like I had the financial means to experiment with my classes and
interests. I had experienced several major internal shifts coming out of high school, and I no longer knew
who I was or what I wanted.

One quarter later, I am happy to say that things have changed. After spending time in the
College of Engineering and taking my first college stem classes, I have a renewed sense of confidence in
myself and my ability to walk down the path I have chosen. I feel vindicated that I was right in my
decision to move to Seattle. I feel more at peace in the culture here than I ever did in the Midwest. And
being away from my parents has allowed me to do something I never could have if I stayed in my
hometown: actually grow up and take care of myself.

At the beginning of this quarter, if someone had asked me why I chose the University of
Washington, I would have lied. I would have said something superficial, like “Seattle is cooler than
Missouri,” or something practical, like “The engineering program is better.” But the real reason I came
here was the birds. In the summer before my senior year, I had the privilege to take a course on bird
banding. I would wake up every day at four in the morning and drive out to a conservation area where I
would spend seven hours checking nets and taking data on native birds. This sparked a passion in field
biology and ornithology that led me to a series of books written about the biology and behavior of crows
in urban settings. The books were written by John Marzluff, and when I researched him I realized he was
a professor at the University of Washington. It was a silly reason to apply to a school 2,000 miles away.
Or at least that’s what I thought until I enrolled in his class.

The last quarter of learning about birds from an expert in the field, the entire reason I applied to
this school, has been incredibly joyful. I consider myself extremely lucky to have been able to form a
personal relationship with Professor Marzluff and learn from him the last ten weeks. Before coming
here, I felt afraid to indulge in my interests outside of engineering, because they weren’t practical, or
they wouldn’t bring me financial security. But succeeding in this class as well as my engineering
requirements has taught me that I don’t need to diminish myself in order to shape a successful future.