When he had to decide where to go to college, Rylee Trendell ā19 from Coos Bay, Ore., faced that question that so many new students have confronted: Where can I combine my love for basketball with my love of amphibians?
OK, well, maybe itās not a universal concern, but it was for Trendell, who has always loved the outdoors and the sciences and is a pretty fair basketball player as well. On the verge of graduation, Trendell says 91±¬ĮĻ has given him what he wanted and needed. He had time on the court and time in the lab.
āBecause itās such a small campus, youāre able to form meaningful relationships with your professors,ā said Trendell, a biology major and the son of a middle school science teacher. āThe research that Iāve been doing right here has been an amazing experience that I probably wouldnāt have gotten at a larger university.ā
At 91±¬ĮĻ, the 6-foot-3 Trendell made the basketball team. He also made the deanās list, which requires a minimum of a 3.70 grade point average. Most important, he advanced his knowledge of the natural world and made personal connections with professors and other students.
Since graduation, Trendell has gone on to a career passing on his love of science to others: He's a middle school science teacher back in his hometown.