Sophomore Sophie Peshek, an environmental science major, loves nature.
Peshek recently became an Eco-assistant for Bergwall Hall, and it is something she is very passionate about.
Eco-assistants are a new role on campus. They are people who educate others on taking care of the environment, help people recycle, encourage sustainability and talk about stewarding the environment as Christians.
“If people have any questions regarding what they should or how they should dispose of certain things, they can come to us,” Peshek said.
The Environmental Science department has been pushing for the Eco-assistants role for over 30 years. They hope to eventually have one for each dormitory, the way dorms have PAs and DAs.
Peshek became interested in studying environmental science because she connects to God the most through nature. She loves seeing the care and intentions he has put into all his creation. She had also helped with outdoor camps in the past and her eyes were opened to the fact that even out there in the wild, God is in control.
“It really puts things into perspective for me,” Peshek said. “Out of all the beautiful, wonderful, things he has created, the perfect weather and epic rainstorms, yet we are his most beloved creation.”
Peshek hopes to go into conservation or preservation after she graduates. The main difference between the two is that preservation preserves the land, while conservation utilizes the resources within the land to strengthen the land.
Her focus and dream is to be able to help people, regardless of what she does.
“We believe any change we can make into the environment helps people worldwide,”Peshek said.
Peshek is also part of the Stewards of Creation club. They do activities such as invasive species removal, but they also have big events. Randall Fest is an event in the fall where the club takes people on walks, does pumpkin carving, makes cider and more.
Peshek is from Houston, Texas but decided to come to Taylor because of the community. After hearing about it from a friend of hers, she decided to visit Taylor a few times. When God opened the doors for Peshek to come to Taylor, she found it to be a special place with a lot of what she was looking for.
She does get homesick but has found community at Taylor and often misses it when she has to leave.
Peshek hopes to make a difference on campus by helping people see the importance of stewarding God’s creation on campus. She recognizes that many people do not have enough education on this topic. This is why she hopes she can help even in small ways, such as making resources available to people or helping them move in a sustainable direction.
“It is so important, especially as Christians, that we bring attention to sustainability because God has called us fundamentally to be good stewards of what he has given to us,” Peshek said. “And so I feel as a Christian campus we should really lean into that and push for that.”
As an Eco-assistant, she hopes to have more conversations about sustainability. She would like to have bonfire meetings, set up a compost bin, talk in dorm group chats about sustainability and just have people engage with the topic.
“I consider myself kind of a behind the scenes person, but I’m happy to help where I can” Peshek said.
