a four-year university. "My graduation will be an important step and a powerful precedent for my family," she says. "Out of all my cousins back in Mariposa, very few have gone to universities."

One of the motivating passions behind her education is Irene's love of the Earth and of beautiful places. She is already an adventurous traveler, having visited Costa Rica, Panama, Samoa, and New Zealand, the last with UC's Education Abroad Program (EAP).

Irene lived in New Zealand for a full year, attending Lincoln University, and although she says she missed her family, it was an unforgettable experience. "It was a great opportunity to travel and study at the same time. I recommend EAP to everyone." She was able to take courses not offered at UCSC, such as a national park management class, a class in Mauri culture, and a class about New Zealand ecology. "I learned a lot about general ecology, as well as about places and cultures outside the U.S., and much of the material will apply to my major," she says. The EAP experience hasn't prevented Irene from finishing college in four years.

Irene has also been involved in American Indian activities, both at home and at UCSC. When she was in high school, she served as powwow princess for Mariposa and Precious Sunset Powwows. "This is an opportunity for girls to represent their tribes, their communities, and their families," Irene says. "I sold powwow tickets, danced at the powwows, and represented my community."

At UCSC, Irene is a member of SANAI, the American Indian student organization, which provides a community of American Indians on campus. "We want to provide a space for people to come together -- everyone’s welcome at our meetings," she says. "In an environment like UCSC, where the American Indian population is small, bringing people together who have the same kind of background is important." Irene also has had a work-study job at UCSC's American Indian Resource Center and did some outreach to her home community by bringing students from her high school to the university and introducing them to the campus.

Before coming to UCSC, Irene already had a goal in mind: to work for the National Park Service, and so she chose UCSC's innovative environmental studies/economics combined major. "A lot of people don’t realize how ecology and economics work together, but you really can’t study one without having an understanding of the other. It makes sense to combine them," she says.

Although UCSC's beautiful physical environment was one of its attractions for Irene when she chose a university, she also praises the intellectual environment and the people. "There are a lot of good opportunities for students in the Environmental Studies Department, and you meet lots of great people in my major," she says. " Also, the students are really cool people. They’re educated, passionate, imaginative, and creative, and they’re dedicated to what they’re studying. I have made some great friends and contacts here. At a university like this, you can learn from others. When you see them working toward their aspirations and goals, it gets you motivated to do the same."