Alyssa Schubert, Class XVIII

Alyssa Schubert

Age:22

Hometown: Crawfordville, FL

Year: Senior

Major: Biomathematics with environmental emphasis

“My entire FSU experience would have been completely different had it not been for Service Scholars,” senior Alyssa Schubert contends.

Causing not only a lot of academic growth, but personal growth as well, Schubert recalls her years in the program.

Year one found Schubert's greatest struggle to be the reflection process.

“I had never been asked to do that before and it’s always been kind of difficult for me to sit down and do that because I think it requires a certain amount of vulnerability,” she said.

Year two brought the most growth for Schubert as she realized she enjoyed a direct interaction between people over of her previous traditionally environmental service.

“We brought IMPACT America to Tallahassee to prepare taxes for people who are under the poverty line,” she said. “Before I thought I wanted to do something with sustainability but following second year and onward, I wanted to focus on where environmental and social justice intersect.”

A strengthsquest test during Schubert’s third year is what stands out the most during that time, where as a cohort she learned how to use her strengths to navigate personal weaknesses and her identity within her service.

Coming full circle, the journey project that fourth year service scholars do strongly tied together lessons Schubert had learned about herself within her second and third years in the program.

Passionate about environmental health due to its impact particularly on marginalized communities including persons with disabilities, Schubert asserts its importance.

“Although people don’t always view environmental service as important, how you interact with your environment affects your success in daily life,” she said. “Additionally persons with disabilities have a social identity that is easily overlooked in navigating both the built and natural environment.”

Schubert recognizes the tough reality the role the environment plays on disabled persons because her sister has cerebral palsy and can have a very difficult time in certain places.

While working on her journey project, Schubert started a project with Sustainable Tallahassee to start a county wide food recovery network also focusing on waste.

In the fall, Schubert will be pursuing her masters and Ph.D in environmental engineering at the University of Michigan.