Vic Whitcomb ’27, Wildlife Conservation and Biology and Sustainability Dual Major
UNHSI: How did you get excited about sustainability and involved at UNH?
Vic: Sustainability work has always been incredibly important and special to me, as I’m sure a lot of my peers at UNHSI can relate to. I grew up in northern NH (up past the White Mountain National Forest) in a very rural area, and while educational/career opportunities were quite limited, nature was definitely not. Growing up here taught me the intrinsic value of our natural environment in a way that feels incredibly personal, and protecting it through building my community’s love, appreciation, and mindfulness of the natural world through work in sustainability is very exciting to me. UNH’s programs and notable progress in the sustainability world was one of the biggest reasons that I decided to come to school here. Immediately upon arriving on campus as a freshman, I was searching for ways to get involved and found an amazing community of people who are just as passionate as me about this work.
UNHSI: Favorite sustainability experience at UNH.
Vic: I would say that my favorite sustainability experience at UNH would be (and yes, I am definitely biased) the first Cat Trax Bike Repair Clinic. It was so, so cool to meet everyone who showed up and see their passion for biking. What really stood out to me was how many of these people really valued the sustainability aspects of biking, and I left this event feeling very inspired by our Durham community.
UNHSI: Favorite weekend activity.
Vic: My favorite weekend activity is season dependent (I can’t possibly pick my favorite). In the warmer months, I love to drive over to Maine to have a surfing day with my friends! In the winter, I am going back home to snowboard with friends as much as I can.
UNHSI: Tell us a little about your Sustainability Institute Internship.
Vic: As a Cat Trax Bike Share Intern, I work with our small team to manage the logistics of the bike share program (charging/repairing bikes, etc.) and do educational outreach on the program. My favorite part of my internship is getting to be creative with outreach, and running events like our Bike Repair Clinic and Community Bike Rides. What makes me so passionate about running this program is how accessible it is to the community.
I feel that’s something we don’t talk about enough or forget to consider in the sustainability world is that sometimes being sustainable is a privilege, and economic resources, education, and lack of infrastructure can bar people from having access to practicing sustainable habits. As a FREE form of sustainable transportation that is available to anyone in Durham, I love how Cat Trax addresses this issue for our community.
UNHSI: What advice do you have for other students, who maybe don’t know what path they want to go down, but know they care about making a difference or want to get involved in sustainability?
My biggest advice for other students is to specifically pursue the avenue of sustainability that you are MOST passionate about. Passion is what drives hard work and real impact, so it is honestly pointless to pursue something that does not GENUINELY excite you in search of status, notoriety, or something else. Luckily, sustainability is such a broad field, with something for just about everyone. If you know what you are passionate and show that you genuinely care, are willing to put in the work, and have an open mind, you will absolutely stand out as a person who can make a real difference.
