Lindsey Trimmer

As much time as you spend planning a trip, you’ll never know exactly what you’ll find when you get there. Sure, you can spend time studying the language, culture and main landmarks you’ll see on your journey, but you can never predict the people you meet, how each place will ultimately make you feel and the lasting impact traveling there will have on your life. In the same vein, how can you pinpoint one thing that exemplifies an entire academic experience that spans four brilliant, illogical and unexpected years on a campus of 40,000?

I’ve always been one with a wandering soul and my time at University of Washington has exemplified this aspect of traveling, and ultimately the unpredictability of life. Through my studies, I’ve had the opportunity to delve into details of political structures, lifestyles and natural resources around the world. At each place my academic journey has taken me, I’ve found a little bit more of myself, and found a little bit more of my home. I’ve explored places I used to call home, research animals that have been a staple throughout the narrative of my life, and ultimately found a way to combine these aspects to make a cohesive college experience. And just like with traveling the world, there are still many places to go, and many new things to learn.

The variety of classes I’ve taken through interdisciplinary honors, my majors and passion projects were a lot life sampling different parts of life and going for quick exploration in new places; I’ve found passions were I thought I had no interests and explored the boundaries, and lack thereof, of my mind. The niche in which I settled, part time in Honors, part time in CHID, immersion in Political Science and the application of Environmental Studies into all of these areas, act as places were I’ve come to settle. Starting points for further exploration, experiences that gave me tools and inspiration for the future.

The beautiful thing about the world, you can never have too many homes, too many starting points, and there is never a lack of places to go as well.  The homesteads I’ve made have helped ground me in my education, but my passion to travel and explore will always run through me. 

Throughout these homes I’ve created, I’ve also developed connections and faced a multitude of failures and unexpected travel plans. Traveling is extremely dependent on who you are with and those who which you feel comfortable allowing to lead you into new terrains and new places to explore. I've had the opportunity to work with brilliant and passionate people throughout my studies; whether they were professors, fellow student or co-workers, these people have completely influenced what I've chosen to study and who I've become through my studies. These people helped lead me through some of the more difficult and treacherous parts of my journey, just as travel companions or guides would. These companions were important because just like with traveling, it wasn't always easy: there were roadblocks, failures and difficult times but in the end these limitations only inspired me to try again and to push myself farther. What's the point of learning what doesn't work if you don't apply that knowledge in the future?