Alexandre Molteni, 2020-2021 Pepper Scholar

Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a Tucson local and a transfer student from Pima Community College.  

In my free time, I weightlift and enjoy learning about history and paleontology by visiting museums and watching documentaries. On the weekends I work at Target, and feel that has helped me become comfortable interacting with all different kinds of people. 

I transferred in Fall 2020 to the University of Arizona as an environmental science major and am excited to get involved with organizations like the Ecological Restoration Club.  

What did you decide on the environmental science major?

I was a law major, but changed my mind after serving on a jury. Instead, I was steered towards sciences at Pima Community College and became more excited about issues like sustainability and ecological preservation.  

I'm most excited about learning about chemistry, specifically understanding pollutants in our environment. I’m also fascinated with the implications of sustainability and thinking through where all of our waste goes.  

What have been some your biggest challenges, especially during the pandemic?

My biggest challenge was making it here. Now, I’m working through how to best manage my time and increasing class load in a remote learning environment during the pandemic.  

What are your future goals?

Right now I have a few ideas. I love the ocean, and would like to move California and focus on cleaning up plastic. Or, I’ve thought about becoming a park ranger. And then I might go work in a lab and get a graduate degree in an issue I’m very interested in. 

How does the Dr. Ian Pepper Scholarship help you reach your goals?

I'm supporting myself through college, and I remember waking up the morning of and finding out that I had received the Dr. Ian Pepper Scholarship.  

I was instantly awake and so excited. This this helps mitigate some of my finances this semester, especially in the middle of the ongoing pandemic.  

Words of advice?

"You can only prepare so much before you have to go for it."