Hometown: Nashville, TN
Major: Environmental Science
University: Baylor University
When Tad was young, he and his family would go to a small beach called Bald Head Island in North Carolina every summer to spend quality time with his family and to enjoy nature. While there, Tad took several classes at the local conservancy where he learned about marine life and about how pollution and waste can damage their ecosystems. Since then, he has been fascinated with scientific investigations!
A great example of how important and necessary scientific investigations are in our time, is the current COVID-19 pandemic. This event has shown us how desperately environmental science is needed and how quickly global and individual focus can change. Which is why Tad wants to be able to contribute to the world of STEM. This fall, Tad will attend Baylor University to study Environmental Science and hopes to one day be an environmental scientist and work with chemical spills and study their effects on water sources.
Fun Fact: Tad played varsity football and soccer his sophomore, junior and senior year!
Tad encourages young students to pursue the STEM field because it is where imagination meets the real world! He mentions how you could become an engineer and imagine something and then design something innovative or become a scientist who dives into the how and why of everything around you or you could become a programmer, envision a game and bring it to life.
The feeling that Tad describes when he reflects on the idea of having the opportunity to make a difference with his future STEM degree is something that both humbles and excites him. He mentions that having the opportunity to be a part of the next generation of innovators is an amazing gift, but it is also carries a tremendous amount of responsibility. With so much division and fear in our world right now, he is aware that he has to be a part of the solution and that he also needs to do something to leave this planet in a better, cleaner, more unified place than it is now.
