When I was living in Lake County, I decided to enroll at CLC because I kept hearing that the college is one of the better schools for transfer students,with general education classes on a par with those offered at four-year universities.One example was a course in American literature from the early to mid-1900s. It opened my eyes to the great short stories of that era, such as Edith Wharton’s “Ethan Frome,” which became one of my favorites. The instructor engaged the class by explaining the history of the time in which literature was written, helping us interpret symbolism and encouraging class discussions.
I started as a business major, but after taking an environmental chemistry course, I changed my major to environmental studies.The class had several field trips, visiting a learning farm and a water treatment plant in Libertyville and a sewage treatment plant in Waukegan. We also researched different environmental careers.
可持续性不仅仅是节约能源和自然资源。通过与自然合作，食用当地种植的无农药蔬菜等行为，我们可以改善公众健康。从长远来看，太阳能和风能等可再生能源可以创造就业机会并节省资金，因为它们减少了从其他国家进口石油的需求。
CLC非常注重可持续发展，格雷斯莱克校区是一个生态绿洲。A portion of the property has been preserved for native prairie plants and grasses, and the arboretum has an apiary (bee colony) and nearly 200 species of trees. There’s a geothermal loop around the campus and the new Science Building, which is scheduled to open in 2017, has solar panels, rainwater harvesting and many other green features. All of this is admirable and inspiring.
Most of my CLC courses were online, and I really appreciated the convenience. It was nice to take classes around my schedule, listening to audio clips or viewing video clips of lectures when I was primed and ready.
在许多CLC课堂上，我注意到至少还有一位退伍军人。That made me feel good, because I’m a Marine lance corporal who has served in Afghanistan. If you’re a veteran in college and you have a problem, you tend to go to another veteran for support, at least initially.
After graduating from Michigan State University, I eventually would like to move to Germany and have a career in forest management. Germany is one of the leading nations in developing sustainable energy. Instead of burning coal, many of their power plants burn wood chips and other forest biomass to heat steam turbines.