Nyah Torres, 2021-2022 Pepper Scholar

Tell us a little about yourself.

I'm from Avondale, Arizona. I attend the University of Arizona and I'm currently, technically, a senior in environmental science. And I'm also dual enrolled at Pima Community College, where I run track and field. I'm an RA and I’m also a peer mentor(link is external) for the Environmental Science Department. And I have officially begun my track for the Accelerated Master's Program(link is external).

Why did you decide on the environmental science major?

I've been involved with environment science basically my entire academic career through middle school and high school. I joined a lot of clubs, I did FFA, which is Future Farmers of America, and it was interesting to learn about the interactions between the environment and agriculture. It's an important aspect of our world because we get food from agriculture, but we also need to be conscious of how it affects the environment. And then I also did Envirothon, where I learned how to make management plans for areas of concern, and that was the icing on the cake, that was fantastic. That's what I want to pursue career wise, to make management plans for environmental issues. And I worked for a conservation center my junior year of high school. It was life changing. I love being out in the field doing research, studying bird species, so it was just a great experience. So, I’ve only had really good experiences with environmental sciences and anytime I ever learn anything in class like, ‘Oh, this is about the environment,’ like climate change, it's so interesting to learn. I feel like the concepts are really easy to understand. It's what I want to do.

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

I personally don't like online classes whatsoever. They're wonderful because they fit my schedule better because I can just hop on my computer, and be boom, in class. But losing the person-to-person interaction with my professors and my peers, it's sad it sucks. It was sad seeing the freshmen who were coming in, and they were just online the whole time, especially if they came from high school. I know the experience of having the in-person classes, like it's so much different it's so much better, but they didn't get that experience. So, it'll be interesting to see how they cope the next year.

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

Any sort of funding or any sort of scholarships, I appreciate greatly. It definitely helps me not have to worry about money or having any debt or have to do loans. So, I’m debt free when I come out of college. Having that funding is super beneficial to me. So, I can focus on academics and focus on my jobs. Focus on being a peer mentor, being an RA. So, it allows me to do that, which is awesome.

Words of advice?

I would say stay dedicated to anything and everything that you do. Stay focused on your academics, stay focused on your health, caring for yourself, stay focused in your relationships and everything. I find that when you're dedicated to improving every aspect of your life, it all just comes together. You can't just be focused on your studies and then neglect everything else because your studies aren't going to be as high quality as you'd want them. When you have everything in balance it makes for greater accomplishments in your life. So, for me personally it's like I’m dedicated in track and field and that helps me stay focused in my studies, because I have to study hard so that I can be eligible for track and field. It all like connects to each other.