Environmental Analysis student Bonnie McLeod studies an interesting pattern of striations in the sand during a class trip to Yellowstone. Although McLeod originally had thoughts of working professionally in a lab, the program and the trip awakened an interest in doing environmental field work in the National Parks system. — Shauna Bittle photo

I first photographed Bonnie McLeod in a chemistry class last spring. At the beginning of the school year, I got to know her a little bit better when I went along with Environmental Analysis (in which she was a student) on their trip to Yellowstone. Bonnie impressed me with her intelligence and thoughtfulness and, as I got to know her better, I was struck by her bravery in setting out on a new career path after years of working in the banking industry.

I am a firm believer in the power of images to tell stories; but I know that images on their own tell a fractured story. As I work more and more in video multimedia, I appreciate the power it has to help place images in context, and to tell a more complete narrative. I asked Bonnie to sit down with us and share a little of her story in her own words. In our conversation she talks about changing careers, the relationship between students and faculty and being a recipient of National Science Foundation STEM scholarship.

Since then, Photoland has entered into a collaboration with the Admissions department to help bring more student stories to the broader community. We are excited to say that these pieces are in progress and should be unveiled soon.

In the meantime, allow me to introduce you to Bonnie McLeod.

Originally posted by Inside Evergreen