Environmental studies and studio art double-major Grace Brieger won the Dean’s award and the Richard A. Cooley Memorial Award to support her studies. UC Santa Cruz interviewed her about her career plans and her academic experience.
With all of the choices for college, what made UC Santa Cruz stand out? I was drawn to the unique location along the fog belt, hosting rich plant diversity. The ability to walk from a coastal prairie into an old-growth redwood forest continues to amaze me, and I enjoy learning about different bugs, birds, and plants. Furthermore, I was drawn to the hands-on, research-based learning experiences that the school offers, from internships and labs to art classes, which focus on themes of justice, both socially and environmentally. I also heard really good things about the Environmental Studies Department!
What is your field of focus? I am pursuing a double major in Environmental Studies and Studio Art, and am particularly interested in the ways in which these disciplines intersect. Within the environmental studies major, I am concentrated in global environmental justice, which seeks to bring justice to both humans and animals so that no being faces a disproportionate burden caused by the harms of climate change.
Within the art department, I have focused most of my efforts in photography and bookmaking, and much of my work is centered around climate justice, which includes the individualized human experience as society continues to face climate crisis. My most recent project, “Birds of the UCSC Arboretum,” was a photo-essay combining my passion for environmental studies and photography by documenting birds that reside at UC Santa Cruz’s Arboretum through research and observation as well as my own images.
My passion is understanding birds and their unique behaviors, and I’m getting more comfortable with my botany skills which is something I hope to continue developing post-grad. To combine my majors, I have been recently getting into scientific illustration, which is another passion I hope to continue developing.
What do you hope to do once you graduate from UC Santa Cruz? I hope to continue work that directly seeks change, combating climate-related issues and preserving what is left of biodiversity. I am really interested in working with plants and animals and would love to work at an aquarium or do field-research of some sort. I have graduate school on my radar, but might give myself a break from academia to explore work options around California or elsewhere. My favorite family of species are owls, and I would move just about anywhere to learn more about them.
I’m planning to look for seasonal field work in California either doing vegetation surveys, restoration, or working with birds in some way. I also hope to continue pursuing art and working on my Etsy shop.
What is one memorable moment that stands out for you as a student here? The most memorable moment for me as a student at UC Santa Cruz has been the internship I took this Spring quarter (2021) with the University Arboretum. This internship not only helped me emerge mentally, physically, and emotionally from a very long and hard year of a global pandemic, but surrounded me with a great group of like-minded individuals and an opportunity to learn from others and recognize some of my own strengths. Through this internship, I curated my own observational project on birds, involving photography and writing, which is something I didn’t realize I was capable of doing!
Also, Natural History Field Quarter—observing Calochortus lilies for 6 hours!!
What is your one piece of advice for incoming students about life at UC Santa Cruz? My piece of advice is to take internships and utilize all the wonderful hands-on opportunities. I wish I got involved with more hands-on learning experiences earlier in my academic career. I would encourage incoming students to seek internships, no matter what field of study they choose! I also really benefited from not knowing exactly what I wanted to do. I took literature, biology, and math courses, until finally settling on environmental studies and art. Though not knowing can feel stressful, exploring the many amazing courses UC Santa Cruz has to offer is definitely not a bad thing.