Willow Latham '05: Caring about the Environment

Willow Latham still has her Mustard Seed Seventh Grade science project in which she tested water in the Jersey City Reservoir:  it is a project she really enjoyed and it sparked her interest in Biology.   At Hudson County High Tech High School, she majored in Biology her junior year and in Environmental Science her senior year.  Now she’s heading off to Harvard where she hopes to study Environmental Science and International Relations.

You plan to double major in Environmental Science and Government at Harvard.  Why?
I’ve always been really interested in the environment and I love science:  it is fun and it makes sense.  Biology is applicable to the real world.  You can go on a hike, see a plant, and identify it.  If you are at a reservoir and observe the macroinvertebrates you can understand something about the water quality. 

I’m interested in the ways that people relate to the environment in the city.  People in the city often do not connect with the nature that exists within the city. If you give people something in contrast to the concrete jungle, then it is obviously going to have an effect on the dynamic of how they relate to the city.

Can you give an example?
I volunteer at the Jersey City Reservoir Preservation Alliance which was able to work with the city government to preserve a significant green space in the city:  the old reservoir.  I help to coordinate events at the Kids Day where we teach kids about the scientific and civic aspects of the reservoir.  When kids learn to identify trees or test water quality, they connect to nature. Perhaps the next time they want to throw something in the river, they will consider how their choice impacts the environment.

What are some other ways that you connect to the environment in the city?
The whole problem is the lack of things to do!  I do like to bike on the West Side Highway or at Liberty State Park.

In what ways did Mustard Seed School prepare you for High Tech High School?
The teachers at Mustard Seed taught me how to write. In high school you write all the time, in almost all subjects.  I learned how to get the my point across in an organized way but also to write stylistically well—to put a hook in at the beginning and keep the reader interested. There is also a focus on aesthetics, to make work that is beautiful and high quality.  When I hand in a paper, it is beautiful, organized and it looks good.

I noticed that some high school students were prepared and able to work in groups and some weren’t.  Mustard Seed taught me how to work with others.

The school instilled in me an ethic of serving others.  I automatically think about the impact of my choice on others.  I think that focusing on something other than yourself is tremendously important. 

Do you have any Mustard Seed memories that you want to share?
In Seventh Grade we had a guest teacher come and teach a mini term course about political debate.  In retrospect, it was a dangerous thing to do:  teach teenagers how to argue with each other.  It really worked.  We had to refine our opinions and clear up what we stood for.

In Fourth Grade, we had a school election that corresponded with a national Presidential election.  Three Eighth Grade students played the candidates.  It got Fourth Grade kids to think about politics. That was really ambitious.

What do you hope to do after Harvard?
My career goal is to work for the United Nations or the State Department.  I want to focus on intergovernmental relations that have to do with the environment and issues like global warming, water, and the conflicts that arise thereof.  I enjoy traveling and love to see the world.    It sounds cliché, but I want to help make the world a better place, to bring help to people and countries that need it.