She loves spending time outdoors, whether she’s hiking or simply exploring somewhere new. At home, she has around 100 houseplants, and when she has the time, she’s reading, thrifting vintage finds or experimenting with makeup. Give her the chance to stay up late looking through a telescope or spend the day outside picking up litter, and she’s probably in.
That curiosity has shaped Ava’s time at Delta College and where she plans to go next.
Ava is pursuing an associate’s degree in science with plans to transfer to Central Michigan University to study environmental engineering. Her interest in science started early but narrowing that down wasn’t quite as simple.
“I loved chemistry, I loved biology, I loved physics,” Ava said. “I just could not pick one.”
Environmental engineering gave her a way to bring those interests together while working toward protecting the world around her.
At Delta, that interest quickly moved beyond the classroom.
Ava joined the Astronomy Club before her first semester even started. Then, after spotting an old Environmental Club poster on campus, she asked one of her professors about bringing the club back. A meeting followed and Ava became its president.
Some of her favorite memories have happened along the way: seeing Saturn’s rings through a telescope, learning about Michigan’s geology in the Upper Peninsula and picking up 101 pounds of beach litter alongside peers.
“The people you meet can completely change your perspective,” Ava said. “I’ve made so many connections and so many friends here. Between the clubs, my professors and the people I’ve met along the way, that’s really what made my entire experience at Delta.”
Eventually, Ava hopes to put her environmental engineering degree to work protecting Michigan’s natural resources, particularly its freshwater. And despite knowing how overwhelming environmental problems can feel, she has learned not to underestimate what one person can do.
“What if one million people picked up one piece of trash a day?” She said. “I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but if everyone did it, it would be a lot. Don’t feel overwhelmed with the alarming amount of bad in the world, because even the smallest amount of change is still change.”
It’s a mindset she has carried throughout her time at Delta; small choices can add up.
For Ava, the Delta Way can be found in those connections. It’s knowing people by name in the hallway, finding professors who become mentors and joining clubs that lead to friendships and experiences she’ll carry with her long after she graduates.
“I’m leaving Delta College with some lifelong friends, some lifelong experiences and no student debt.”
By Mikaila Bluew, writer & editor
