By Lindsay Mensch Moving into a dorm freshman year is an exciting experience for most people. Living in a new place, meeting new people, and experiencing new things at the beginning of college is a great time for growth and personal exploration. The RISE Program especially encourages students to explore their interests and develop into…
How RISE Has Shaped Me
By Marie Clark I have often wondered how that random email about RISE I got in March of my senior year of high school somehow landed me where I am today. Currently, I am living in Bailey Hall, where I have lived the past two years. I will be in the hall for one…
Reflecting on the RISE Blog
By Lindsay Mensch I spent my first year in RISE drifting on the periphery. There wasn’t any one place that I felt certain I wanted to be; I contributed a large amount of time to the mealworm project, volunteered once or twice to package tea, and often thought about joining the Bee Team. There was…
Freshman Year is Over, and I Have RISE to Thank
From a looking glass, it’s easy to say the RISE program at Michigan State is focused on environmental sustainability and consists of ‘all the kids that like the outdoors and nature’. While that is true, there’s so much more to the program that even I didn’t realize when applying. Yes, I knew it was a…
A Meaning in Every Letter
By Cameron Jenkins The end of my first year at Michigan State is oh so near. Even though I am buried in my studies preparing for final exams, I am taking time to reflect on my experiences. One of my favorite additions to my experience was joining the RISE community and adding the minor in…
Giving Back with Every Pack: Taaluma Totes
Taaluma totes is a company started by college students with a global mindset. Travelers can bring fabric back from any country they travel to, and Taaluma will make backpacks from it. Through the years, they’ve collected some of the coolest fabrics from Indonesia, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Mali, Thailand, and tons more! If you decide to bring…
All Natural, Not so Natural
By Cameron Jenkins Cruising down the aisles at the grocery store, you have a healthier mentality. “I should choose all natural labeled products because that means that they are healthier,” you think. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite the case, and it is traced back to the Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA. The…
Sustainability: The Future of Fashion
Shopping! Whether it’s online, in-store, or with a beloved companion, shopping is my favorite form of therapy. Picking and choosing is all fun and games until you get to the cashier’s’ desk and realize you’re about to spend the last $32.56 in your bank account. I’m always on the hunt for deals and keeping up…
An Ode to Patagonia
Join MSU Recycling, Patagonia and PostLandfill Action Network as we celebrate resue, repair, and recycling. This past weekend, I and a couple other RISE students represented our program with a booth at Michigan State Worn Wear Tour event MSU’s Auditorium. Other attendees with booths included MSU Recycling, Sierra Club, MSU Bikes, MSU Surplus Store, MSU…
The River City Water Festival
This weekend, I made the trek to the Grand Rapids Public Museum for the River City Water Festival. This FREE event (yes, I am advertising it for next year) hosts nearly all of West Michigan’s environmental groups: Blandford Nature Center, John Ball Zoo, Plaster Creek Stewards, the City of Grand Rapids Environmental Services Department, Annis…
Unexpected Stress: Tips & Tricks
Living the life of a college student can get really hectic really fast classes, studying, meetings, clubs, mental & physical health, chores, etc. can pile up crazy quick if you don’t efficiently manage your time. I do my best to set time aside for everything I do on the daily, but because life is unpredictable…
Your Brain Loves Running
By Cameron Jenkins While the sensible part of your brain might have screamed at the title of this blog post, I promise you that the non-sensible part might actually have something good to say. Running is the R-word that many people claim to detest. In your childhood soccer days, laps around the field were meant…
