Venecia Rollins | Bioresource Research and Sustainability Double Degree
Milwaukee, Wisconsin | USFWS Intern
First-Generation College Student | MANRRS 2022 National Impromptu Speaking
Multicultural Scholar | REEU Mentor | Greenbelt Land Trust Board Member
Class of 2025 | LinkedIn | Harper Nanotoxicology Laboratory
The Perfect Piece
I love to scuba dive and look forward to completing my Rescue Diving and Scientific Diving Certifications in the future. I also like to throw pottery and hike, and grow heirloom veggies in my spare time. I have always liked puzzles. Working in environmental toxicology is a constant puzzle where you don't know where all the pieces are. Additionally, working in research, when done well, can help promote the answering of questions you were not originally asking. All in all, I cannot think of a better way to spend my time on Earth than to help the Earth and all her inhabitants have access to clean air, water, and food.
Where the Work Took Me
My field of study and opportunities has taken me to many great experiences, including a USFWS MANRRS Internship, USFWS Pathways Internship, and research in Ashland, Portland, Astoria, and Washington. I have also participated in OSU Service Learning in Puerto Rico, where I got to design and build a school garden for a tech high school and meet the mayor of Caguas, who came to thank us personally.
Mentors and Lifelines
Through my BRR major and the support of my advisor, Wanda Crannell, I have been able to travel to a multitude of conferences, complete a service learning trip in Puerto Rico, and end up having a stable job with USFWS for the last 2+ years that will upon graduation move to a fulltime position. Without the hands-on experience I have had the opportunity to be part of through the College of AgSci, none of this would be possible.
Booked One Way, Found Another
Traveling on a solo trip to SE Asia and spending all of my return ticket money to prove to myself I could get home by making it back. Getting to live somewhere else, work somewhere else, and become fully immersed in another culture gave me an incredible shift in perspective, showed me where my endurance lies, and allowed me to see what type of person I am and the type of person I want to be in the years to come.