As cliché as it seems, UM-Dearborn’s 300-plus acres of natural habitats really is an inspiring backdrop to a nationally ranked curriculum. In fact, for Kaitlyn Tatro, it was the picturesque setting that sparked the economics major’s passion for preserving, protecting, respecting and revitalizing our environment. “I realized I wanted to work more with the environment and focus on sustainability, especially in our urban centers and large communities,” says Tatro, now a graduating senior at the university. “So, I am getting both a research and science background, and also hopefully an idea of how to finance our endeavors.” Since her awakening to the natural world, Tatro has earned the Environmental Science Research Award based on her work in a spider-mating strategies study. Her research literature on light energy and pollution is awaiting publication in a sustainable development journal, and as coordinator for the PolliNation Project, a student initiative focused on educating the public about pollinators in Southeast Michigan, she’s earned a grant through the Ford College Community Challenge. Tatro’s accomplishments are vast, but her mantra is simple. “I've come to realize that if you want to see something change and make a difference, you need to throw yourself into the fray.”

Kaitlyn, in her own words

On drawing inspiration from the college setting. “The Environmental Interpretive Center is a great facility that manages over 300 acres of natural preserved forest area right here on campus. As a freshman, one of my favorite activities was just to walk through and de-stress after all the hard courses and really enjoy that environment. I started thinking about how nice it would be to have more of these areas in places that people could go to really enjoy the environment that they have. So, that kind of sparked my interest and over time, I realized that my passion was not only the economics but the science behind it, too.”

On springing into action. “I suppose my defining moment, if there was one, was sitting in class as a senior. We were talking about garbage on campus and what we could do to prevent it, and I just remember thinking about all of the lectures I’d been through — the different people I’d learned about and their work, and all of the activism going on currently on campus. And I remember asking myself, ‘Why was I so afraid to start something or do something?’ That was the point I realized there was no excuse to sit back. If you want to change something, you have to start it.”

On what it means to be a Difference Maker. “Oftentimes, we don’t have the best opinion of ourselves and think that we don’t have the knowledge needed to lead others. But what will make anyone a Difference Maker is acknowledging what you don’t know, but still taking the initiative to step forward and lead others in what you believe is right.”