Alexandria Waldschimidt explores California’s coast during National Student Exchange. BY ALEXANDRIA WALDSCHMIDT for the UAS Whalesong During last spring semester I was able to travel around California, be a part of a larger student body, and all while, worked on my UAS degree. I did that by participating in one of UAS’s academic exchange programs…
BY ANNELIESE MOLL For the UAS Whalesong On November 5th, a group of students taking a ‘Discussions in Marine Mammalogy’ class went to Sitka, Alaska, to attend the 19th annual Sitka Whalefest. Unlike other years, the symposium was held on the Sheldon Jackson campus rather than the Harrigan Centennial Hall. Many UAS students left early…
BY SARAH THROWER For the UAS Whalesong Growing up, my main travel inspiration came from stunning photographs of Greece that I would find in National Geographic or other various magazines. I loved to cut out photos of the white sand beaches, blue waters, little villages, and ancient temples and turn them into collages of my…
BY ANNELIESE MOLL For the UAS Whalesong As many of you probably know, over-fishing and pollution are just a couple of the major challenges many marine organisms are facing. This is especially true for costal areas around poorer countries. One organism that is being hit particularly hard is seahorses. In order to understand why they…
BY ALEXA CHERRY For the UAS Whalesong Post-Halloween and pre-Christmas break is perhaps the most stressful time of year for students, because it heralds the arrival of final tests and projects. And, while I do not promote blatantly ignoring your problems until they go away (because most of the time, they won’t), sometimes you do…
BY ALEXA CHERRY For the UAS Whalesong If you have spent over an hour in my immediate presence, you’ve probably heard me voice something regarding my distaste for nature. That being said, it then becomes understandable that several people have approached me regarding my participation in the recent camping trip up to Windfall Lake Cabin…
Every Casino Night has a theme – post-apocalypse, the James Bond movie Skyfall, etc. I used to think that it was technically at least a semi-formal occasion; a chance for students to dress up and show off the finer aspects of their closets. And I suppose that still holds true, depending on the theme. But this year, things were slightly different. Students were still supposed to dress up – but instead of dressing like they were going to a black tie dinner, they dressed like they were attending San Diego Comic Con.
BY MADISON BOVAIS For the UAS Whalesong Sunshine, surf time, and island exploration is why I chose Hawaii but what I returned home with was so much more. And actually my decision to study away in Hawaii was because I wanted to experience a bigger school in a different climate. With my geography and environmental…
BY STEVEN HANDY For the UAS Whalesong My Suggested Tips for Future Study Away Participants: 1. Assimilate. Consciously disconnect your sense of identity from all groups of which you’re a member to maximize potential for assimilation. When our social groups become our identity it is manifested in our behaviors that, consequentially, may force others to…
When asked the question “how do you think the experience will benefit you in the future?’, I respond with a question: How will it not? I relive the experiences through re-reading logs, looking at and sharing pictures, and just telling my stories. As long as I live I will have reminders of the lessons I learned about the host culture as well what it learned from me and how I can be a better person.
