Chelsea Welch, a master’s degree student in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, plans to use her UGA education as a Peace Corps volunteer and would like to help train the next generation of conservation scientists.
Hometown:
West Union, W.V.
High School:
Doddridge County High School
Degree objective:
M.S. in natural resources
Other degrees:
Sc.B. in human biology, Brown University, 2012
Expected graduation:
Spring 2014
Current Employment:
Graduate teaching assistant
Family Ties to UGA:
None.
I chose to attend UGA because…
… I was interested in the Peace Corps Master’s International Program, and the Warnell School at UGA is one of the best in the nation for natural resources. I also liked how many resources would be available to me as a graduate student in the natural sciences.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
… coffee breaks outside on South Campus and cheering on the Bulldogs in Sanford Stadium.
When I have free time, I like…
… riding my bike around Athens when it’s warm and I love to spend Saturday mornings shopping and having brunch downtown. As a grad student, free time is precious and limited.
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
… I spent a semester backpacking across Tanzania during undergraduate school. While there, I spent some time with the Maasai people and ended up getting branded one day. That was wild.
My favorite place to study is…
Maybe I’m alone in this, but I study best at home curled up in my own bed. Jittery Joe’s in Five Points is a good alternative.
My favorite professor is…
I’ve only had a few, but Cathy Pringle at the Odum School of Ecology is pretty inspiring. She’s just very nurturing and passionate about our environment and her job. It’s refreshing to see that in tenured professors.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
I’m a pretty big Lena Dunham fan girl. I think she is doing more for women in the media than most people realize. She is so accomplished at such a young age and I would definitely consider her my top role model.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
… try my hand at spoken word. I’ve always been a science geek and no one would ever call me artistic, but poetry seems so magical and I want to be a part of that world.
If money was not a consideration, I would love to…
… move to the coast of East Africa and sponsor micro loans for women in business there, as well as help train/sponsor education for the next generation of conservation scientists.
After graduation, I plan to…
As part of the Peace Corps Master’s International Program, I plan to become a Peace Corps volunteer.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
Going to my first Georgia football game was a huge culture shock coming from New England. There are some really loyal fans around here.