As a freshman, Allie Garrett thought sustainability was just another word for recycling. One class changed her point of view.

“People had told me App was a green school, and I thought that was cool, I like to recycle, but I didn’t really know all that that entailed,” the sustainable development major said.

“The first class I took was Principles of Sustainable Development. I didn’t mean to enroll in the class. It sounded OK, so I took it and within 10 minutes of the professor, Dr. Jennifer Westerman, speaking, I knew this was it. This was going to be my major.”

As a student Garrett participated in Alternative Service Experience (ASE) and the student-run Renewable Energy Initiative (REI), and worked as a resident assistant for University Housing and a research assistant with Appalachian Voices.

These experiences prepared her to receive the Z. Smith Reynolds Fellowship in spring of her senior year, which enables her to work on Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation activities related to philanthropy, public policy, community service and/or the nonprofit sector during 2015-17.

During the fellowship, she will assist with grant making related to the environment, social justice, community/economic development, public education, and the cultivation of democracy.