Hello, my name is Samantha D’Aversa but everyone calls me Sam. I am currently eighteen years old and freshman at Penn State living in East Halls. I am from Oyster Bay, New York, which is located on Long Island. It is a small town not many people have heard of but I am proud to call it my home. I am currently studying at the Smeal School of Business striving to become a finance major. My two sisters are also finance majors so they help me out with my studies. Also my dad has a knowledgeable background in finance, which also is benefiial. After I graduate I plan on moving to New York City to obtain a job in the financial field. I have a high interest in this class because everyday I observe how the environment impacts society, vice versa. I am eager to learn more in depth about this topic and I think this class will successfully teach me.

One topic that caught my attention relates to social and ecological systems’ relationships. The continuing drought in California from (2012-2014) has destroyed not only the part of the environment where it is located, but is also destroying wildlife and humanity around the world. Harmful effects that resulted from this drought are endangered wildlife, water shortages, and agriculture is slowly being destroyed. Another section that I thought related to this was the environmental policy in the social sciences perspectives section. It discusses that societies policies towards the environment is extremely important. It further states that these policies extend further than the government all the way to schools, businesses, households, and even individual people. If societies policies are so important, why haven’t we found solutions to these problems? I think society, as a whole, needs to work together in order to find solutions to better the environment.