Majors: Community and Environmental Sociology and Environmental Studies
Certificates: Entrepreneurship and Global Health
Year: Junior
Joe Shook can attest to the value of major and career exploration. “Students shouldn’t settle into one mind set or one academic track to the point where they exclude other opportunities. I came in as an engineering major and decided that it wasn’t where I belonged. I went to landscape architecture and decided that field wasn’t for me either and switched my major again,” said Joe.
Joe’s study abroad opportunities taught him what he does and does not want to do with his life. “I was landscape architecture and then I studied abroad in Kenya and Tanzania researching wildlife management and then Denmark studying business,” said Joe. “When I got back I knew I wanted to do something more with people.”
Joe has since enhanced his new majors, Community and Environmental Sociology and Environmental Studies, with two internships. Joe interned with the Madison Environmental Group working on sustainability. He used an unconventional approach to get hired, “I went through the application channels on their website, but I wasn’t getting any responses and I knew I wanted to work with them. One day I just showed up at their office and asked them if they were looking for an intern and they said ‘yeah, nice to meet you.’”
In his current role as the South Madison Intern, Joe Works to support the mission of Slow Food UW, “I work with the Boys and Girls Club on Taft Street on the south side of Madison. Every week I plan a menu based off of what is in season at the farmer’s market and then every Saturday I take a group of Slow Food UW volunteers to the Boys and Girls Club and we bring food from the farmer’s market to cook with the kids,” said Joe.
Joe is excited about his future and has plans for after graduation. “I would like to pursue Teach for America right after college. I absolutely love working with kids. They are great and keep you young.”
His long-term plan to grow food in urban food deserts is even more impressive, “I think it would be great to adopt the Growing Power model, which is an urban agriculture setup. I really enjoy [landscape] design, I really enjoy food and I really enjoy agriculture; to combine those in an area where it is really needed, where I would actually be helping someone and doing some good would make it much more meaningful.”
