When I introduce myself for the first time, people are often surprised by what they hear. “Creative writing and environmental studies?” They’ll say. “That’s an interesting combo.” I wasn’t always carrying this dual focus. I first came to UW as an English major, unsure where college was going to take me. I loved writing, and yet had little direction for where to apply it. This began to change as I explored my interest in the natural world at UW. In my second quarter, I took an environmental studies class with the farmer and professor Eli Wheat. I’ll never forget when he opened the first class with a poem by Mary Oliver, and I felt a sense of amazement and validation that I was exactly where I wanted to be. Never before had a teacher demonstrated so clearly what I believed: that poetry — indeed, all art — was a needed voice in environmental science and in the face of climate change. Little did I know, but that moment of validation was going to carry me into a whole new world of experiences.

After that class, my involvement in environmental studies only grew. I joined the Dirty Dozen Farm Club for the first time, and immediately fell in love with the strong community and the days at Mercer Court planting seedlings and exclaiming over every worm. In the summer of 2024, I traveled with Kerry Reding’s Reconnecting Food Roots program to Lopez Island. There, we spent a month learning from farmers and living immersed in the local food culture and community of the San Juans. During the program, I wrote a poetry collection about the legacies of American agriculture, exploring what the land meant to me. In those few weeks, surrounded by the rich coastal beauty of the island, my beliefs were reaffirmed. I wanted to be someone who advocated for intentional food ways, sustainability, and most of all someone who bridged the gap between the world of environmentalism and the world of written arts.

Since then, the farming community at UW has continued to evolve as my true home on campus. I’m grateful to be one of the leaders of Dirty Dozen, and to have spent time with the UW Farm as a volunteer and intern. For me, farming is my sphere of action and a place where I feel my voice can be heard. There is nothing more inspiring than regenerative agriculture: a chance to give back to and heal the land, build biodiversity, and create community through delicious food all the while. I am grateful for those at the UW Farm, and my friends and fellow leaders in Dirty Dozen who continually encourage me to approach the work with kindness, silliness, and a listening ear.

Receiving this award is an incredible honor. I’m grateful for the recognition of my hard work thus far, and take it as a reminder to remain diligent in my studies. As I look to the future, I hope I will continue engaging in the land that sustains me and encouraging others to do so, too — be it through my work as a farmer, my work as an artist, or that special place in between.

– Carilyn Brandt, UW Junior in English and Environmental Studies

Mysteries, Yes

By Mary Oliver

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.

How grass can be nourishing in the
mouths of the lambs.
How rivers and stones are forever
in allegiance with gravity
while we ourselves dream of rising.
How two hands touch and the bonds will
never be broken.
How people come, from delight or the
scars of damage,
to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those
who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
and bow their heads.