Student Name

Associate in Science

Alana Lautensleger came to YVC with a bachelor’s degree in forest ecology and environmental studies. After high school, Alana Lautensleger spent a semester in Ecuador learning Spanish, taking courses, and volunteering at El Hogar Miguel Leon, a local hospital for the terminally ill. When she returned home she began studies in environmental science and resource management at the University of Washington (UW). “I spent four years studying ecosystems and doing field research all over the globe. I traveled to sites as far-flung as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, Yosemite National Park, and the Antarctic Peninsula,” stated Alana Lautensleger. “After graduation, I spent a season working for the UW as a field technician in the Yosemite Forest Dynamics Plot and then I returned home I worked as a lab technician for the Agricultural Research Service in Wapato. In my studies as an undergraduate and in my job experience post-graduation, I enjoyed the science and contributing to the existing body of human knowledge, but the sense of helping others was abstract. I knew I needed something different, and after a lot of thought I came to the conclusion that I wanted to pursue medicine,” she continued. Wanting to attend medical school, Lautensleger began attending YVC in September 2011 and finished her pre-requisites courses in June 2013. “Attending YVC I was able to network with PNWU faculty and students as I was completing my prerequisites and beginning the med school application process. This was extremely valuable throughout the entire application process and something I could not have done without YVC offering the science courses I needed to stay local,” she concluded. Following YVC Lautensleger was accepted into PNWU and will begin medical school in August. Ultimately, she hopes to work in primary care or family care in the Yakima Valley.