Name: Molly Rose Jacobsen
College: Kresge
Department: Environmental Studies
What award/scholarship did you receive? The 2016-2017 Deans' Undergraduate Award.
What year do you expect to graduate (e.g. 2017)? I graduated in June 2016.
Where do you call home? Santa Cruz, California
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? I am interested in agroecology and the overlap between the agricultural and natural worlds. I chose UCSC because of the wide breadth of the Environmental Studies program, the depth of the Agroecology concentration, and the option of gaining hands-on experience at the UCSC Farm and Gardens.
What is your field of focus? Agroecology and sustainable food systems.
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? I am currently enrolled in the apprenticeship program in ecological horticulture at the UCSC Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, where I am gaining more farming experience. I hope to take this experience out into the community to empower others to grow their own food, and to educate farmers and gardeners how to produce food in an ecologically sound way.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? The first time I made it down to the farm and saw the apprentices out in the fields! I knew that I had to figure out a way to join them.
What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? Enjoy your time here, and give yourself to it fully. This time will go by incredibly quickly, so take it all in and experience all that you can!
How will this scholarship impact your academic life/research? It’s an incredible honor to be recognized for the hard work that went into creating my thesis. To be a recipient of this award gives me a great sense of accomplishment.
