Next month, Katie Grabowski '12 will graduate from Princeton University, one of only a handful of students to have majored in civil and environmental engineering and ecology and evolutionary biology, while also earning a certificate from the university’s environmental studies program. Just a few days after earning her diploma, Grabowski will embark on a six-month professional internship, working as a conservation education presenter for Disney's Animal Kingdom. "Getting the internship is like a dream," she says. "I will be working in the Wilderness Explorer program, which is primarily geared toward kids and their families and teaches them about topics like animal observation, animal health and nature skills." When asked about her plans after Disney, Grabowski offers, "There are a lot of interesting options on the table."

In addition to her traditional coursework at the University, Grabowski has spent the past two years exploring travel opportunities that further her academic interests. In January of 2014, she traveled to Kenya with Engineers without Borders to help construct rainwater catchment systems and to create lesson plans for water treatment, conservation and sanitation. “It’s not enough to simply bring water or drill a well,” she explains. “Some people have wells, but they are so badly maintained that it is worse than drinking river water. It is more important to teach, and demonstrate, sustainability.”

Grabowski has been passionate about ecology and the environment since her days at Gill. While she is equally committed to her coursework in engineering, she sees it as a complement to her primary interest. “At Gill, I took A.P. courses in biology and environmental studies. I loved them,” she says. “I knew then that I wanted to work with plants and animals but within the larger framework of the environment. That’s the big picture for me.” She continues, “I think the engineering component will give me a better problem solving background in whatever I choose to do.”

 

Whether at home or abroad, Grabowski has been able to make room for an incredible range of interests and activities, and it seems unlikely that graduating from Princeton will change that. She is not in a hurry to choose a career, perhaps because she has been actively designing one since her student days at Gill. Guided by her love of the environment, Grabowski will continue to incorporate her strengths, her interests, and of course her travels, into the “big picture.”