Montana Western environmental science major Berett Rosenkrance says one of the most shocking moments of her life came upon her return as a sophomore to the UMW campus for the 2008 fall semester.
“I was walking down the sidewalk and one of my professors, Steve Mock, said ‘Hi, Berett. How was your summer?,’” Rosenkrance remembers. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘I had this professor for one class and he knows me by first name?’ I was shocked.”
Rosenkrance says Professor Mock is but one example of Montana Western’s quality, caring faculty.
“I’m so impressed with the professors here. They probably don’t get enough credit, but we appreciate them.”
Berett grew up on a ranch in Mackay, Idaho. She came to Montana Western in 2007 with her father and quickly fell in love with the campus and Dillon.
I can’t imagine going to school any other way.
She is currently in her junior year studying environmental science with an emphasis in sustainable resource management. She hopes to work as an environmental consultant to help build bridges between ranchers and environmentalists.
Berett says Experience One opened up her academic horizons.
“Honestly, I can’t imagine going to school any other way just because right now we’re out in the field for six hours,” she explains. “If I had another class that would get in the way of that, I don’t know how I would learn. I get to go out every day and actually experience what I am learning and make sure I know what I need to. I’m asked to prove my knowledge every day instead of just writing it down.”
Berett also credits X1 for allowing her to take a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos islands for Honors Environmental Science 301.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would have missed out on if I had four other classes I was responsible for,” Rosenkrance says. “No one else is going to be able to teach me about Ecuador the way it was to go look at and see the Galapagos Islands and find out where Darwin’s finches came from. I got to see those finches. The trip gave me a new confidence in what we’re doing.”
