Chelsea Thompson

Q: Hi, thanks for doing this! Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

A: My name is Chelsea Thompson and I graduated from Alma College with the Class of 2020. I was an environmental studies major and I’m currently working as an environmental scientist at Triterra, a consulting firm. I had a great experience during my time at Alma and I would recommend it to anyone! I’m originally from the Traverse City, Mich., area, but when I came to campus for the first time, it immediately felt like home.

Q: What do you do as an environmental scientist?

A: My work involves a lot of risk assessment for folks purchasing commercial property. We help them identify environmental contaminants that may be present on a property prior to their purchase and decide if there’s a risk to human health as a result of that contamination as well as how to mitigate it. It’s interesting work and Alma College prepared me well to do it — my coursework always kept in mind the greater impacts of what we were studying. It’s about more than just science; it’s about understanding how science fits into the world on a whole.

 Q: Did you do any interesting research, or have an out-of-the-classroom experience at Alma?

A: I was fortunate enough to do research for pretty much all four years that I was at Alma. Very early on in my time at the college, I approached the chair of the environmental science department, Dr. Murray Borrello, and told him that I was interested in water quality issues in my hometown. He didn’t brush me off or push me on a senior student — he told me, “Let’s explore it.” We applied for and received a research grant that allowed me to pursue the topic and dive deep into it, which was rewarding on multiple levels.

 Q: Can you talk about Alma College alumni and how they made an impact on your career?

A: In particular, the environmental science alumni are a deep network of people who are passionate about helping the students of Alma College. So, it was wonderful for me to get to know them, and they helped me secure a couple of internships in my field that were beneficial for my education and career. Since graduation, I’ve tried to pass that on to other students and help them in any way that I can.

Q: How do you think Alma College prepared you for your professional role?

A: My job has me talking to people from all walks of life. As a student at Alma College, I didn’t only take environmental science classes — I took political science, sociology, ethics and religion. Having a liberal arts background allows me to understand how a topic like environmental science fits into the lives of other people. It makes me better at what I do, and I enjoy it more.

Learn more about environmental science at Alma College by visiting alma.edu.