Lillie Daniel, a senior Life Sciences & Education major at Thomas More University, emphasizes her passion for environmental conservation and community education. Through her dedication and leadership, Lillie shares her experience planning Sustainability Celebration Week on campus. Learn about the events, her involvement, and her advice for students looking to make a lasting impact. Let us know who you’d want to hear from in a future Saints Spotlight at tmuky.us/saints!

Kendra Yurt (KY): You are studying the life science and educational studies here at Thomas More. Can you tell us why you decided to pursue this path of study? 

Lillie Daniel (LD): From a young age, I’ve always had a deep fascination with nature and animals. I’ve enjoyed hiking and spending time outdoors, especially collecting rocks. That was my favorite hobby and still is. In high school, I volunteered with the Wave Foundation at the Newport Aquarium. I really found my passion for community outreach, but I always saw that as more as a side job, as I really wanted to go into the field of environmental science and even marine biology at the time. When I came to Thomas More to study science, I was introduced to the education department faculty. With their guidance, they helped me discover my passion for sharing my love for nature with others and inspired me to pursue a path where I can encourage environmental stewardship and inspire others to appreciate and care for the world around them.

The education studies major is so special to me because rather than staying in one classroom, I’m able to be outside teaching all ages from pre-K to adults. It is also a unique major because you can bend it and shape it any way you want, fitting it to match your personality. I have taken that concept and completely ran with it for the environmental education.

So, life science and educational studies—they’re a good mix together. I also have minors in biology, environmental science and psychology, and I’m pursuing the sustainability concentration. I’ve really taken my degree and fit it to me, my personality, and what I want to do. So in the job field, I think I’ll be flexible to end up wherever. 

KY: This year you play an important role in the implementation of the Sustainability Week Celebration here on campus. Can you tell us more about this event and how you became a key leader? 

LD: Sustainability Celebration is a week-long series of events and activities that align with Thomas More’s mission of caring for our common home, and responsibility to others. The celebration features a variety of programs assigned to educate, inspire, and engage participants in meaningful ways. As a leader in this initiative, I had the opportunity to help organize and promote these activities, fostering a sense of community while encouraging sustainable practices. With my sustainability concentration, this is my capstone project. Being one on the Sustainability Committee, President of the Blue and Green Club, and in the sustainability concentration, [thought to herself] “Yeah, you’re doing this.” 

The goal is to inspire people to connect with the environment and each other, all while enjoying a range of events that highlight the importance of sustainability in our everyday lives. A main takeaway we want from everyone this year is, “Why is each individual effort important? How can us ourselves each make a difference?”

I also took on the shirt design this year, which I’m really excited about. I did it last year, but I am excited about the one we’re doing this year. I love playing around with art and being able to use those skills. I’ve loved art ever since I was little, but it’s again a side hobby of mine, as I love it so much. This year we have a snake as our logo. It is the “year of the snake.” Dr. Rosenthal really loves the Japanese culture, so we brought in,” year of the snake” for our logo this year. We’re even having a special guest from the Newport Aquarium come…a little snake is going to come. Hopefully.

KY: What are some of events on the agenda that students should take note about? 

LD: On April 22nd, Earth Day—that’s really our main event—we’re having a speaker panel featuring KAO, which is a Japanese cosmetics company, the Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet, and then someone’s coming to speak about sustainable farming. Then we are going to have a cookout with live music by Professor Carr. [Lastly,] we are going have external exhibitor tables for students to come and find some shadow opportunities, internship opportunities, and ways to get involved and learn a little more about local organizations that connect with sustainability. 

On April 23rd, we’re doing something new this year [and] I’m excited about it. My background is in conservation, [as] I work with plants and study bats. [From this,] we’re bringing a conservation day to Thomas More, and Kenton County Conservation District is going to be working with us on this. We’re going to start in Steigerwald at 1:00 pm and we’re going to do an educational workshop. I think if you’re not a biology student, you don’t really know a lot about invasive honeysuckle—it’s fun to know about and it’s important to know about. After we do a little educational workshop, we’re going to go over to the campus pond by Stallmeyer and take down honeysuckle. [Using] whoppers, [we are going to] whack it down. It’s going to be so much fun! But if you’re not comfortable using tools, you can pick up tennis balls (because it’s right by the tennis court) and also pick up garbage. 

On April 24th, we’re doing a design thinking workshop, [which is] driving sustainable choices through retail case studies. When we go shopping and we make decisions, [it teaches us to have] in the back of our mind [internal dialogue] “how do we make this decision sustainable?” 

On April 25th, we’re doing a reflection lunch and reflecting on all the week’s activities and we’re going to try and bring the Japanese culture of their reflection to tie it back to the snake and Laudato Si’, and bring everything together. 

On April 27th, we’re doing a beautification event at the field station. So come out to the field station and we’re going to do some painting, mulching, and cleaning it up. We can also go fishing. I love to fish down at the field station, and we can just make it a fun day. 

Leading up to the events, we are doing our second annual Weigh the Plate initiative in the commons. On April 14th through the 16th, we’re measuring food waste. In the commons we will be set up with our bins, scraping food waste into each cohort, and measuring how much food waste we waste per year.

KY: After working on this project, how do you think this experience will assist you in your future career?

LD: My experience with sustainability planning has been invaluable in developing practical skills that will benefit me in my future career. I had the opportunity to handle the fundraising and work with sponsors, as I did all the sponsorships. I think in total we have 3,750, so that’s a pretty good number. These skills aren’t typically taught in the classroom setting. With the hands-on experience of planning, organizing, marketing, and collaborating with a diverse team to execute a week-long event, it has equipped me with transferable skills and project management, teamwork and communication that I can apply in any career. Being a life science and educational studies major, I don’t get the business aspect of things, and it’s been nice to wrap that into my degree. 

KY: What advice do you have for future or current students about how to get involved in your community?

LD: Find what truly excites you and take every single opportunity given to you. If you’re passionate about nature, consider joining the Blue and Green Club, the Sustainability Committee, or getting involved with the field station. If chemistry is your thing, the Chemistry Club is a great place to connect with like-minded individuals.

There are always people on campus who share your interest, but if you can’t find a club that aligns with your passion, then just start one. Everything you learn in the classroom is crucial and getting involved in the community at Thomas More is just as important. It helps you develop practical skills, contributes to positive change, and builds a support network that can be invaluable when challenges arise.

Honestly, my community involvement on Thomas More’s campus and outside Thomas More’s campus has been everything to me, and I love it. It just inspires me every day, and I love taking on new challenges and projects.