SES students: ‘Strive to be good stewards of the earth’

• Tweet
• 
• 
• 

• Tweet
• 
• 
• 

Each year, two seniors at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley give speeches to inspire their classmates during commencement ceremonies.

The May 31 graduation speakers were Hunter Paulson-Smith of Apple Valley and Teghan McCarthy of Eagan. Both took time this week to answer a few questions from Sun Thisweek.

Paulson-Smith

What was the message or theme of your commencement speech, and why?

My message is that SES has helped us find our voices and we need to use our voices to continue to make a difference in the world. SES has truly inspired me to become a better steward of the Earth and I wanted to share this message with all of my fellow graduates.

Who has been your greatest inspiration or mentor and why?

I would have to say my two biggest mentors have been Amanda Hartman and Kathleen Westgard. These two teachers have inspired me to be the best I can be in everything I do. They also helped me develop my writing and speaking greatly.

What are your plans after high school?

I am going to Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., to concentrate in environmental studies and writing.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen?

Do what you want to do, no matter what everyone else around you is doing. Also, find your passions as early as you can and start acting upon them.

McCarthy

What was the message or theme of your commencement speech, and why?

My Speech is called “Only at SES.” It focuses on the SES experience and all the crazy things we as SES students are exposed to and do to learn about the world we are part of. It focuses on the teaching styles at SES, and how our teachers draw the outlines, but let us color it in, They lay the foundation but let us make up our own minds, and draw our own conclusions.

Who has been your greatest inspiration or mentor and why?

One of my biggest mentors this year is Pat Schoenecker. She was my contact for my senior project, in which my friend Cheyanne and I made a documentary about the Partnership Garden that is at the front of our school. Pat is the sole founder of the garden and has touched me dearly. When Pat was done with high school, she traveled around the world on missions to help people, which is what I want to do.

Pat is very selfless and loves to learn about everything. She is very wise and smart. She is self-educated, too. Being around Pat helped me through some personal problems. Seeing how Pat never focused on herself and lived for the bigger picture really set an example for me.

Pat and I would always get so off topic by talking about things way beyond the Partnership Garden. It really helped shape my environmental ethic, which is a paper SES seniors have to write. She is amazing.

What are your plans after high school?

After high school I’m doing a two-year internship program called Heartland Master Commission, where I intern under a youth pastor and earn 60 credits, then I’ll transfer to North Central, the main biblical college in the cities where I will finish with a double major in business and missions.

I hope to intern with missionaries I met last year down in Guatemala as well.

I would love to travel the world and learn about other cultures and help those where I can. I would love to work toward supplying clean water to those without access to it or provide sex education for women in developing nations, which helps to give them a voice. Both are subjects that were brought to my attention through research for projects at SES.

What advice would you give to incoming freshmen?

I would have to tell any incoming SES freshman, that like I mention in my speech, when it comes to SES you get out of it what you put into it.

Never be afraid to try anything and always go with the flow. Step up to take any challenge that is brought to you. When you apply yourself, and not just show up, but participate, SES comes alive and you fall in love with it. When you open your eyes and open your mind, your life, thoughts, and view begin to change.