An Introduction

Hi eyeryone, I'm Lauren Koch. I'm from a small town 30 minutes North of Kalamazoo called Plainwell. It's surrounded by cornfields and a whole lot of boring. I am currently a freshman at Western Michigan University majoring in Pre-Occupational Therapy with a minor in Psychology. I'm hoping to be admitted into WMU's 4+1 comprehensive Master's program for Occupational Therapy. 

I chose a path in Occupational Therapy because I want to help the people, especially those who are unable to help themselves or may not have the means to do so. OT allows me to do this while also allowing me to be creative and solve problems. So far, I have loved the experiences that I've had in OT and I am so excited to start diving deeper into my program and to see all that I can do with it and where it will take me.

Sentinal Dome--Yosemite National Park 8/25/15

My favorite types of music include  indie and folk music. My favorite T.V. shows are Parks and Recreation and Saturday Night Live. I have a weird liking of both cats and small goats despite the fact that I am allergic to both. I love spending time in the outdoors enjoying nature, especially up in Northern Michigan and visiting the National Parks. This past summer I spent time at Yosemite National Park, and it is by far my favorite park that I've had the chance to visit. It was so relaxing, refreshing, and breathtaking. Pictures don't do it justice.

I also love hiking, kayaking, hammocking, napping,  and rock climbing, although not necessarily in that order. When I get the chance, I also like to re-live my glory days doing gymnastics and pole vaulting. During the summer, I spend my time working at The Kalamazoo Nature Center Camp as a Senior Educator (basically a glorified camp counselor who is payed in glitter and pinecones). I get to spend the majority of my time outside connecting with my inner first grader. It is great, except when you're dodging hornet swarms or trying to hike more than a mile with 6 year olds.

I'm looking to forward to learning about the impacts and effects that we as humans have had on nature and possible what steps we can take in order to help preserve what is left of this Earth.