Ask an Honors Student
A psycology major putting her passion into practice, Kristin isn't afraid to get her hands dirty working for the environment.
- Kristin Puhl
- Hometown: Port Angeles, WA
- Major: Psychology
- Ask Kristin at:
puhlk@cc.wwu.edu
- What's best about Honors?
- Honestly, it's the people you meet. Professors and students alike in Honors really care about education, and it's definitely a good environment for learning.
- Your first Western "WOW" moment?
- There have been a lot of moments when I've been amazed--mostly at how glad Western's professors are to help students. They've given me so much of their time and energy, it's unbelievable.
- Outside the classroom?
- My best friend and I--we met on the first day of class our freshman year, when we were both in Honors Chemistry and in the intro Honors sequence with Dr. Margaritis--decided, after reading books ranging from B. F. Skinner's Walden II to Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, to found a cooperative organic farm. Reading The Omnivore's Dilemma was probably the single biggest turning point of my college career: it gave me an appreciation for my food that's become a driving passion for environmentalism. When you care about what you eat, you find yourself caring about your health, your soil, and your water, not only because these things are intimately connected with sustainability, but also because food that tastes good comes from good water and good soil and tends to be better for you.
- What is the best book you've read lately?
- I just finished Lord Brain, by Western professor Bruce Beasley--it fuses neuroscience with poetry, and I think that's a brilliant idea. I've enjoyed it a great deal.
- What is your favorite memory of WWU?
- When I presented my undergraduate research in social psychology at PsychFest, our university's yearly spotlight on our Psychology department, I wasn't talking to an empty room. Faculty and students alike came together to engage in a dynamic discussion of what we're doing and why. I got to talk about my research, and I was taken seriously. It's a really good feeling.