Kirsten Tilleman, a second-year graduate student in Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and a UCSB basketball team member, recently made the headlines of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) website for her hard work, both on and off the basketball court. In an article titled "The Active Conservationist," Kirsten is described as a down-to-earth student athlete originally from Bozeman, Montana. We were lucky enough to have Kirsten accommodate us with a few short answers she provided for us in a recent interview. Read below for more on Kirsten and don't forget to keep sending us recommendations for future "Graduate Student in the Spotlight" columns.
Discipline/Emphasis:
Kirsten (second from right) and her master's group project team I’m at the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management working toward a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management (MESM) and specializing in water resource management and conservation planning.
Research Interests/Goals:
My master’s group project is on evaluating public access resource assessments and plans at Tejon Ranch, Calif. Our research and analysis supports our client’s — the Tejon Ranch Conservancy — public access management plan. Our project also provides the basis for several recommendations for planning, management, and expansion of public access on Tejon Ranch.
More broadly, I’m interested in the intersection between policy, watershed management, and land use, with some environmental education in there as well. Bren’s MESM is a professional degree that trains students in applied, interdisciplinary science and its use toward generating real-world solutions. I plan on using my MESM degree to meaningfully and positively effect change in both ecosystems and social systems.
What’s it like enduring the grind of being a graduate student and an athlete for you?
Kirsten was named the 2013 Big West Women's Tournament MVPI suppose it’s similar to having a full-time job while also being a full-time graduate student, except that your boss controls your schedule beyond the normal work hours and workdays. And they can make you run. It’s a constant challenge to balance the two aspects of my life, but I am fortunate that both my graduate program and coaching staff support my desire to do both. Sometimes it means setting aside “fun” things to get everything accomplished, but I trust it will be worth it in the long run.
Put simply, you know all those Tumblr pages about life as a grad student with accompanying humorous GIFs (that are usually right on the mark)? Well, there are Tumblr pages for life as a student athlete along those same lines. Combine them and you have life as a graduate student athlete!
What’s been a source for motivation and / or drive for you?
I think gratitude underlies a large part of what I do and why. I feel blessed for the opportunities I have and the people and places that fill my days. It is thus both an honor and responsibility to give everything the best I can and continually work toward improving.
Name the accomplishment you are most proud of, and why.
This is a tough question. Choosing one accomplishment, I’d have to say I’m most proud of how I responded to the adverse environment of my first two years playing basketball in college. My teammates and I experienced great injustice from the coaching leadership, but the team took a stand. Personally, I responded by graduating Oregon State in three years total and making it to Bren for my master’s degree and last two years of collegiate athletics eligibility. The experience taught me important lessons about myself, how to stand up against mistreatment of people, and how to find fulfillment elsewhere when unexpectedly, plans change.
What makes you, you?
Kirsten at work for Project WET at Pilgrim School
The outdoors was my first classroom.
Where did you grow up?
I’m a proud born-and-raised Montanan. Specifically, I grew up in Bozeman, Montana, exploring the mountains, valleys, and forests characteristic of my home.
What’s a guilty pleasure of yours?
Nail polish. I love the endless color possibilities!
What’s playing in your iPod right now?
This is going to sound silly, but I actually don’t use an iPod — I either play vinyls on my record player or stream on my computer. That being said, I’m a big fan of Brandi Carlile, Bon Iver, Of Monsters and Men, The Lumineers, The Cave Singers, The Decemberisits, Florence + the Machine, Band of Horses, Broken Bells, and so much more … basically I’m an indie music gal with a particular affinity for country/folk, new age/pop, and alternative rock.
Any advice or final thoughts to current or future graduate students?
If you want to do something and are willing to make it a priority, the time to do so will appear and work itself out. So take advantage of all the opportunities being a grad student offers because, chances are, you won’t have access to many of them after graduation. Oh, and never underestimate the power of good writing and grammar.