I transferred to the University of Utah to study exercise science, or therapeutic recreation. I've always led an active lifestyle, and have been fascinated by the human body. I hoped to become a specialist that could help inform people of ways to incorporate activity and the outdoors into their lives for greater health and happiness. The summer prior to my first semester at the University, I interned at a physical therapist's office in Park City. I enjoyed helping the patients, and geeking out when the PT's explained the science, or anatomy of what they were working with people on. It was an environment that was clean, new, and fostered an amazing view of Park City's Olympic Park.
I had first attended Utah State University to delve into an environmental science degree but became depressed after my first environmental science class. To understand the trickle down of human behavior in ecosystems worldwide, and to grapple with the scale to which these things occur was overwhelming to me. I decided that it would be best for me, and my happiness to delve into a field of human health as opposed to one that focused so much on environmental degradation.
During my internship I was excited to imagine myself in this kind of a work environment in the future; one that helped people heal, gain strength, and restore their bodies health. Yet, somewhere in my mind I couldn't shake this feeling of disconnect between human health and ecosystem health. People cannot thrive without a healthy planet.
This dichotomy of my two interests and passions have led me to the field of Urban Ecology. I wasn't satisfied focusing on just environmental science exercise or science because they are both areas I care deeply about. Urban Ecology focuses on improving people's ways of life through urban design, active transportation, and myriad of other details in the fabric of a city or community that can serve both the environment, but the people in the community as well.
Although I still feel overwhelmed by the scale of issues regarding sustainability in today's modern world, I feel empowered by the idea that there are so many solutions to the problems we are facing today. When we combine our understanding of what aspects of our modern lives negatively impact human health there will be nothing to hold us back from working towards mechanisms of sustainable interest. When health care professionals and environmentalists collaborate, I am confident that our attitudes towards land conservation, water conservancy, automobile dependency, pollution mitigaiton, and our current pattern of suburban sprawl, will be seen in a new light. Perhaps these topics won't be as controversial as they have been, perhaps they will become a means of common ground for people.
After all, at the end of the day all we have is our health, each other, and the planet that sustains our lives.
Rather than grappling with the massive scale of environmental degradation that takes place each day, lets focus on the fact that future generations are worth fighting for, and that we've truly got power in our hands.
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