Izz Lamola
Being a resident advisor has allowed me to make friends with my Campus Living team and share my love of campus with others.
Pronouns
Degree and Class Year
Hometown
Major
Minor
Extracurriculars
What three words would you use to describe L&C?
What’s your favorite class? Why?
My favorite class I’ve taken was Global Environmental History with Associate Professor Andrew Bernstein because I believe everyone should learn about the historical relationship between humans and their surrounding environment. Andie guided us through the many historical shifts that have brought humans to the present moment and explained why we act the way we do. As an environmental studies major, I found this to be an incredibly foundational class to my current and future thinking.
What do you like or find most interesting about your major?
Environmental studies is a major that allows you to explore so many different directions and avenues. I enjoy feeling like I could study a wide variety of topics, all which allow me to follow my passion about combating environmental degradation. Environmental studies has allowed me to mix my interests in the humanities with my love for the more-than-human environment. I have succeeded because I am able to engage in my various curiosities at once.
What do you like or find most interesting about your minor?
Rhetoric and media studies is a field that teaches you so many fundamental skills and opens you up to many career opportunities. I have found that learning about communication, rhetoric, argumentation, and media analysis allows me to see my world differently. I feel that I am prepared to work and communicate with others in conducive ways.
How would you describe sustainability at L&C?
Sustainability at L&C is something that is intertwined with so many other spaces and offices. Themes of sustainability can be found within almost every class at L&C, allowing students to see how environmental degradation is connected to many different topics and focuses of study. Sustainability is something that students are closely involved in and many initiatives are student run.
What’s your involvement with any sustainability initiatives on campus? What’s the best part of your experience?
I helped create the Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Committee (EIJC) Community Food Cabinet, which is a free food cabinet with non-perishable goods that is housed within the Sustainability Office’s ReUse Room. EIJC found that many students, especially those with low socioeconomic status, were not able to afford and access food. This has been incredibly rewarding knowing that students have necessary resources. I’ve been trying to get the Forest Garden’s composting system in operation in order to encourage students to reduce their food waste. This is something I would like to work on further in my remaining time at L&C. It has been a beautiful experience watching food get turned into a generative source for growing vegetables and herbs in our community garden.
What should incoming students know about sustainability at L&C?
Sustainability at L&C is something you make what you want of it! If you want to do something, people with resources will want to help you do it! It can be so expansive and exciting when you learn how much offices, and specifically the Office of Sustainability, will help guide you in creating events and initiatives.
How does sustainability prepare students for life after L&C?
Many careers and businesses require a consciousness of the environmental impacts of various industries. Looking through life with a lens of sustainability is incredibly important for students so they can look at their future with a mission of improving humans’ relationship with our natural environment.
What do you love about being a resident advisor (RA)?
I love being a resident advisor because it allows me to be a leader in my community and connect to a wider range of students on campus. I enjoy organizing and putting on events that involve things I take pleasure in! I’ve put on events about painting, button-making, natural remedies, cooking, and taking people to the PSU Farmer’s Market. Being an RA has allowed me to make friends with my Campus Living team and share my love of campus with others.
What’s one of the best spots on campus?
One of the best spots is hands-down L&C’s Graduate School of Education and Counseling’s campus. The second it gets sunny outside, bring a blanket and friends. The beautiful trees, the various singing birds, and the occasional deer make the area feel incredibly magical. I would recommend sitting by the Bee Garden and watching the bees come in and out of their hives with pollen from their long journeys.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Remember to give yourself time to recuperate after socializing. The first few weeks of classes can be very exciting when you’re meeting a bunch of new people, and finding time to be alone can be hard. Take a breath before moving on to the next event and think about what feels best for you. Oftentimes we get caught up in what it seems like we should be doing, and being true to yourself is incredibly important when you are making your first friends.
