Meet Mara Lorch, a Marine and Environmental Science major who came to APU from the wide-open landscapes of Montana. Growing up surrounded by mountains and open spaces shaped her love for the outdoors early on, and today she still spends her free time gardening, running, skiing, writing, and knitting.

Mara didn’t start her college journey in Alaska. She began at Montana State University before feeling the pull to move north. After relocating to Palmer to farm, she decided it was time to return to school. Since she was already living in Palmer, APU quickly became the perfect match: close to home, community-centered, and offering the hands-on learning she was craving.

She chose Marine and Environmental Science because it allowed her to study what she loves most. “I grew up in Montana, so I’ve always loved being outside and I knew I wanted to study ecology. The marine and environmental science program covers all of those bases. You get to go outside for a lot of classes and it’s not all just computer time inside.” She is also the Assistant Editor of Turnagain Currents, a student-run literary and arts journal published each semester. She says that her time with Turnagain Currents has been a refreshing outlet while working on her environmental science degree. You can read one of here pieces here.

One of Mara’s favorite parts of studying at APU has been the small class sizes. “You actually have a relationship with your professors, which is so rewarding. At Montana I didn’t know any of my professors. I was just a face. Here, we’re able to have much more meaningful classes.”

Field-based learning became a highlight of her time here. Traveling to places like Eklutna and Homer, she studied sea otter behavior, glacier discharge, and tree biomass, work that brought her academic interests to life in a tangible way. She laughs when recalling one of the mostinteresting things she learned recently: that a bacteria from cat poop can wash into the ocean and infect sea otters. “It’s hard to choose a favorite thing I’ve learned, but that one stuck with me.”

Mara’s senior project took her into the alpine environment of Hatcher Pass, where she researched plant diversity on different mountain aspects. She spent the summer identifying plants and comparing north- versus south-facing slopes. So far, her findings show that south-facing slopes have noticeably higher plant diversity, with bushier and taller growth, while the north-facing slopes are dominated by species like alpine spirea and crowberry.

Along the way, scholarships, including the Marine & Environmental Science Outstanding Student Award, helped lighten the financial load. “They helped a whole lot. I’m not able to work very much during school, so this took some of that stress off.”

As she approaches graduation, Mara is keeping her plans open. With the natural sciences job market shifting, she’s considering a move back toward Idaho or Montana and hopes to eventually find her way into the field of botany.