This week’s Student Spotlight features Missouri State University junior, Eva Klein. Students featured in the Student Spotlights show characteristics exemplified in each of Missouri State University’s three pillars: Ethical Leadership, Cultural Competence, and Community Engagement. They also exemplify what daily practices of sustainability look like. You can find these students educating, volunteering, and pushing for a more sustainable future. Please read on to see how Eva practices the three pillars, sustainability, and what it means to be a bear.
Name: Eva Klein
Hometown: Saint Louis
Graduation Year: 2019
Major: Psychology
What is your favorite vegetable?
Zucchini or artichokes
What career options are you thinking about and why?
I would like to be the sustainability director of a corporation, if I could choose any company to work at, it would be Eataly. I would like to promote sustainability in the workplace and ensure that companies working with food, a high impact sector, have sustainable practices.
What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
I love cooking
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
I have a lot of places on my list but right now my number 1 is Vietnam because I have never been to a tropical country and because spring rolls are one of my favorite foods.
When did you first become interested in sustainability? Share the story.
I grew up in the Waldorf school system which highly values mother nature, producing our own food, and working WITH the environment, so I was raised with the basic principles of sustainability. The founder of this school system was Rudolf Steiner, who also is the father of bio-dynamic farming. I grew up with his beliefs, however a defining moment for me was in high school while teaching an environmental class to 4th graders. Their excitement about nature and simple stuff like recycling was really inspiring to see.
How are you involved in sustainability on campus and/or in the community?
I am an Eco-Rep and I am on the Academic and Operations Sustainability subcommittees. I am also working on a research project about students perceptions of sustainability on campus.
What motivated you to get involved?
Sustainability is an incredibly important topic and not enough people realize that. The fact that I know how important living a sustainable live is calls me to act on that.
What advice would you give other students who want to live more sustainably?
Start simple. Just change one little thing and make that a habit. Then add something else. For example just commit to using a reusable water bottle. Then once you’ve got that down, add recycling, or biking, or buying organics. And talk about it!
What is one thing that makes you unique?
I’ve got a thing for Italy. Its hard to make value judgments but it really is the best place. . . for the food, the culture, the art, the cheese, the language, the cheese, the wine, the nature and also the cheese.
What is your favorite quote?
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” John Muir