The perfect major for a food-lover and talented writer? Agricultural Communications. Pullman Scholar Claire Everett found a way to combine her two passions through her studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As a contributor and photographer for The Daily Illini student newspaper, Claire is already mobilizing her dream of writing about the politics of food. Among her goals, she hopes to bring awareness to the accessibility, regulation, and distribution of food and how these factors can be affected by politics, ethics, culture, and the environment. Not only a hard-working student, Claire is also a teacher. She has been ice-skating since she was six and now instructs a campus recreational ice-skating class.
Claire grew up in Chicago and for a while lived near the Pullman neighborhood. She remembers studying the history of Pullman in school and was excited to learn of the Pullman Educational Foundation Scholarship when she was applying for college. She was even more thrilled when she was awarded the scholarship. In reference to this connection, Claire shared, “It’s nice to take a piece of your history, of your city, to college.”
Claire is enjoying college to its fullest, taking advantage of every opportunity that crosses her path and looking to her future. In stepping back from her busy day, she reflects, “College is going by fast. With so many opportunities available, it is easy to get overwhelmed. However, whenever I get stressed about school, I stop and think about the people working hard to get me through college. The George M. Pullman Educational Foundation plays a large role in keeping me going. Knowing that when I call the Pullman Foundation office I will be greeted by a friendly voice that can give me advice that a parent or friend cannot, it’s comforting. I feel very lucky to have these people see me through college.”
