Brittany Grote

At Western I am involved in Western’s Association of Professional Landman, the Sustainability Coalition, intramural dodgeball and volleyball, Three R’s Committee, Western Ambassadors, Residence Life, Tennis Club, and in the past I’ve worked with Asian Pacific Islander Club, Native American Student Council and the Blue Birds (girls snowboarding club).

Western is the right place for me because it has a fantastic and supportive community that has provided me with opportunities for involvement that I never imagined.

What sets Western apart from other colleges are the friendly people. I joke that this is the real Disneyland -- people are just that friendly and happy to be here.

I chose Western because of the small-town community and opportunities for outdoor adventure.

My favorite class or professor at Western is a toss-up between Karen Hausdoerffer and Sally Hays. Both have a contagious passion for their subjects. I haven’t had a professor that I’ve disliked.

One thing that surprised me most about Western after arriving here was the amount of student/faculty interaction, I feel like I know my teachers better here than I did in high school.

My favorite WSC tradition is Earth Week. There’s something going on everyday of the week during Earth Week. There are hikes, local meals and garden starts. In the past they have taken recyclables from the trash and put them on the lawns to show how much is wasted every week. It is very dramatic but overall it’s a great, spirited week.

My favorite place in the Gunnison Valley is Crested Butte Mountain Resort. I love having a ski resort 35 minutes away.

When I have free time, I like to play Frisbee golf, fish, snowboard, take pictures, pretty much anything outside when it’s nice out. When it isn’t so nice, I like to swim at the pool and have been recently learning how to hip-hop dance and play chess.

After graduation, I plan to find a job in the renewable energy industry.

The one Western experience I will always remember will be when my resident advisor put up a laser field of yarn in our hallway freshman year. We had some intense races and I came out with some serious rug-burn, but it was a blast. Not quite as fun when you had to get to class though.

A random fact about me is that during my first time fly fishing in Gunnison, in Spring Creek, I caught a fish on my first cast ever!