Senior to Senior Series: Sara Parker ’24

As a senior this year, I have been thinking back on my time here at Chatham. My fellow seniors and I, while eager to walk across the stage, have a lot of memories to recall before it’s time to put on our cap and gown. The Senior to Senior series is an opportunity for graduating students to speak about their time at Chatham and what it means to them. 

Sara Parker (She/her/hers)

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA 

Major: Sustainability— Resource Management

Minor: Food Studies

Our next Senior to Senior interviewee is Sara Parker, a sustainability major and food studies minor. Sara is a student of the Falk School of Sustainability & Environment, and has spent much of her time at Chatham at Eden Hall Campus. I met Sara in a few courses throughout my own time at Chatham in the food studies department. Her passion for bugs, nature, and wildlife shines through confidently in much of what she does. She has taken a diverse range of classes from opera vocals to hip hop dance, and speaks with love about Chatham’s focus on sustainability. 

How did you decide to come to Chatham? 

I looked at a lot of Pittsburgh schools because I'm from Pittsburgh. I knew I wanted to study environmental studies or science and sustainability. I thought that Chatham’s program was unique because they had a sustainability major never heard of. I really liked the idea of the Eden Hall campus, which I’ve grown to love so much. My grandma, Barbara Frank ‘59, also went here in the ’50s, when it was still Pennsylvania College for Women. Sadly, she passed away before I could ever meet her, but I think attending Chatham was a way to connect with and honor her as an ancestor. 

What is your favorite part of the sustainability major? 

I love all of the things we get to do outside. As part of my experience at Chatham, I’ve connected a lot with my professors who have given me a lot of opportunities with field work outside of the classroom and that’s made me really passionate about ecology, especially insects. I want to go to grad school to study entomology, and the very first experience I had with that was because I had a class with Dr. Utz that led to me working with him over the summer, and we sampled dragonflies. I spend a lot of time in the streams and the forest we have on campus. Just last week I was out collecting samples and it’s so peaceful. It’s nice to just stand in the water and search for little treasures. 

What is your favorite class you’ve taken at Eden Hall campus? 

It’s between sustainable production and any R-based coding class. Every year in sustainable production, they chose a different food item, and my year was ice cream. It was such a blast. I got to make this peanut milk-based chocolate ice cream where I made the peanut milk from scratch. The coding classes would be either Hydrology or Quantitative Ecology. It’s not something I ever thought I’d be interested in, but when I took those classes I found that it was surprisingly something I had a newfound affinity for. I never thought I was a math or STEM person but it was so much fun.  

Do you have a favorite Eden Hall senior memory? Do you have a favorite place on Eden Hall’s campus? 

For Quantitative Ecology, we went out to go sample fish in a nearby stream. It was really fun. We got to use an electrofisher, a tool that temporarily shocks the fish so that you can pick up the fish, identify the species, and then put them back in the water. We all took a turn wearing the electrofisher, and we all looked like ecological ghostbusters. My favorite place at Eden Hall would be the streams where I can go sample insects, or spending time in the field lab with the microscopes we have there. I also like to sit in the bean bags in Muller House! 

Do you have any hobbies or things you’ve liked to do while in college? 

I live in Shadyside, and as a food studies minor, I love to explore the food. I love to try restaurants in Squirrel Hill and Lawrenceville. My favorite place to eat is probably Noodlehead in East Liberty, that’s where I find myself the most. I also really like Jitters, a little coffee shop on Walnut Street. My recommendation at Jitters Café is a rose honey latte. I was also a member of S.E.R (Society for Ecological Restoration). We worked at Eden Hall to restore some of the ecosystem, particularly parts of the forest that have been overrun by invasive plant species that threaten the livelihood of the native plants. 

What are your plans after graduation? 

I’m planning on going to grad school. As of right now I’m on the cusp of hearing if I got into places, and I’m visiting a few places. Once I’m done I can make some decisions. No matter where I go, the end goal for me is to get a Ph.D. in entomology or biology. I really want to study insect behavior. 

What would you tell your first-year self? 

You might be more interested in chemistry than you think. Take classes outside of your major for fun; you might meet your best friends that way. I took voice lessons throughout college with Dr. Kelly Lynch. I found out that I love opera and I love to sing opera. There’s so many connections to classic literature and opera. You could be reading a book and the next day your opera teacher could bring it up as an aria to sing. I also took hip hop dance which was so much fun. My advice is take the random 1-credit art classes, they’re so much fun. They were a great way to relieve stress. 

Do you have any advice for students coming to Eden Hall? 

Take advantage of the acres of land that we have, go for a walk, explore, pick up leaves and rocks. Don’t be afraid to look for opportunities outside of campus at other universities because it’ll make you value your Chatham experience so much more. During my time at Chatham, I did a summer internship at the University of Maryland. I also worked in a lab at the University of Pittsburgh. It was great to experience different types of universities. It really made me reflect on Chatham and how I like it. Don’t be afraid to step out from time to time and look for other adventures. 

Thanks to Sara for speaking with us! If you’re interested in participating in or nominating someone for our Senior to Senior series, email us at communications@chatham.edu. 

Lirit Gilmore is a Creative Writing and Food Studies student. Lirit’s academic focus is centered in food writing and how it intersects with social location and identity. She is from the DMV and the Midwest, and enjoys baking in her free time. See all her work on Pulse@ChathamU here.