Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

Will Kochtitzky ’16 dishes about Dickinson, sustainability, blueberries, Barack Obama and more.

Majors: 

Earth sciences and environmental science.

Clubs and organizations:

Dickinson’s Sustainable Investments Task Force, Presidential Commission on Environmental Sustainability, Outing Club, Reinvest Dickinson, Environmental Studies/Science Majors Committee,  Student Handiwork for Organized Projects (SHOP), the Treehouse (ecosystems manager), Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Farm (student farmer), EarthNow (vice president), Geology Club (secretary) and Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Climate Change (treasurer).

Why I chose Dickinson:

My criteria were pretty simple. First, how strong is the sustainability program? And second, does the college have a farm? Dickinson has an incredible farm and a great sustainability program, so it was the clear choice.

Favorite learning experience:

During my first semester I took Introduction to Archaeology and World Prehistory with Professor Maria Bruno to fulfill [liberal-arts] requirements, but I ended up really enjoying the course. Last summer [Bruno] invited me to work on research with her in Bolivia. It was an incredible experience to get to work with a professor in a different field than my major.

Favorite Dining Hall food:

Anything from the College Farm, especially the cherry tomatoes.

Favorite book:

Life of Pi.

Favorite movie:

[James Balog's] Chasing Ice.

Post-graduation plans:

I have a blueberry farm back home in Tennessee that I really enjoy. I would like to use permaculture-design principles to make it a fully functioning farm. I am also deeply concerned with global climate change and the effects that humans are having on our only planet. Many people are already feeling the effects of our fossil-fuel consumption, and I would like to do whatever I can to help mitigate global climate change.

Favorite place on campus:

The Handlebar.

Little-known talent:

I occasionally play the harmonica.

If I could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, it would be . . . 

Barack Obama. I would love to fill his ear [with] climate change for a couple of hours and learn about why we are struggling to address it.

Published November 15, 2013