Introducing Jaden Olski - 2024 Damon Anderson Scholarship Recipient
WLIA awarded the Damon Anderson Memorial Scholarship to three students this year. It's time to get to know them!
Jaden Olski is expecting to graduate from the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in 2025 and is studying Environmental Geography, GIS, and Cartography and Geovisualization.
How did you decide on your field of study?
Growing up, science was always my favorite subject; I loved how it seemed to have answers for everything. However, as I matured, I began to question more deeply and realized that science often addresses only the questions that have already been asked and tested. I believe there’s so much more to explore, particularly in improving human relations with the environment.
In 2017, during my sophomore year of high school, I joined an Environmental Scholars Program with the USDA Forest Service. This experience allowed me to help plant 25,000 trees for a restoration project and tour various research facilities, where I learned about different career paths. One facility that stood out to me was the Rhinelander Agricultural Research Station (RARS), a potato breeding research center affiliated with the University of Wisconsin.
The following summer, in 2018, I began working at RARS and continued working there every summer until 2023. I enrolled at the University of Wisconsin River Falls in 2019, majoring in Environmental Science. When COVID-19 struck in 2020, I transitioned to online learning, but I quickly realized it wasn’t for me. That summer, I chose to take a break from school to work full-time at RARS. I enjoyed the perfect blend of fieldwork and office tasks, and I took pride in contributing to the development of disease-resistant potatoes.
Unfortunately, I developed De Quervain’s tendonitis due to the repetitive nature of the work, which ultimately led to surgery on both wrists. In 2023, I resigned from my position at RARS to return to college, this time at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. I initially declared a ceramics major, because I thought I needed a change of pace after my surgeries. However, during my first semester, I took my first ever Geography course and immediately fell in love with the subject. Geography fuels both my curiosity and creativity.
I love being a student at UWEC because of the incredible undergraduate research opportunities available. This past summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe for a month to conduct research on locating mass burial graves from the Holocaust. The fieldwork I performed in Europe was truly eye-opening and deeply impactful. I recognize that many unanswered questions remain in the world, and I believe the scientific process can discover solutions. This realization inspires me to pursue a master’s degree in geography, where I can contribute to our understanding of the world.
What is your dream job?
I would like a purposeful research-oriented career that provides improvements between society and the environment. Specifically researching food systems and figuring out ways to make the agricultural industry sustainable. I would love to be a part of something bigger than myself and generate some positive change in the world. Ultimately, I aspire to become a Research Project Manager, where I can lead initiatives that promote sustainability.
What’s the best advice someone has ever given you?
Embrace change is the best advice I have received. Change is inevitable, how you react to change is controllable. Embrace change even in difficult times as it is an opportunity for personal transformation and growth.
What do you like to do for fun? (Hobbies, volunteer work, etc.)
My hobbies include backpacking, road trips, mountain biking and gardening.
I enjoy going on solo backpacking trips with my two-year-old Boston Terrier named Juniper. We recently went on a 20-mile backpacking trip on the Ice Age Trail. It is my goal to someday complete all the Ice Age Trail segments with Juni.
Juniper and I also go on solo road trips together. Our longest road trip was to Sedona, Arizona. We took the backroads cross Minnesota and Nebraska. Stopped at state parks in Colorado. Went to Arches National Park in Utah. Then went to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.
Besides hanging out with my dog, I also enjoy mountain biking. My enthusiasm for mountain biking made me start a mountain biking club at UWEC that I am president of. I lead group rides around town and to nearby mountain bike trails.
I also love gardening. I work part time at a greenhouse, and I specialize in the herb/veggie greenhouse. I love sharing gardening tips with customers while caring for the plants. Last summer, I was a volunteer assistant at the Downtown Eau Claire Farmers Marker. I had the pleasure to connect with vendors and learn about their gardening techniques.
What’s something most people wouldn’t guess about you?
I’m a huge Beatles fan! I've had the incredible experience of seeing Paul McCartney live three times and Ringo Starr once. My collection of Beatles memorabilia is extensive, ranging around 200 items. The best day of my life was when I attended a Paul McCartney concert on my 18th birthday!
Would you rather live in a big city, small town or in solitude?
I would rather reside in solitude with my dog. Ideally in a small, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired house deep in the woods. A lake and nearby mountain bike trails would be a plus, and a ceramic studio connected to a greenhouse. Although I appreciate the conveniences of city life and the charm of a small town, at the end of the day, I would thrive in solitude. I would drive back home in a fuel-efficient car, listening to disco music while avoiding deer, all the while looking forward to home; where the only sounds I hear are birds. In this solitude, I have the space to think about my next breakthrough!