Travis Ostrom, BS Mathematics, University of Miami(FL), MS planned in
Environmental Engineering

Travis Ostrom is originally from Florida.  He spent 6 hot, dry years in Arizona before returning to Florida for college.  While attending the University of Miami, he became frustrated with the invasion of Iraq and beleaguered by a leveling spirit, so he went to India.  On this trip he gave up his vices, got ripped off badly, thought he was dying of SARs, heard the Dalai Lama speak, actively sought solitude, read a lot, witnessed extreme poverty, became inspired by Gandhi, and generally had an amazing, life altering experience.

After graduating with a BS in Mathematics and not immediately ready for more school, he moved to China to teach math at a university.  After a very interesting and impactful year in China, he moved to Guatemala to put his 5 years of Spanish to use and spend time with his family who lived there at the time.

He then decided he was either going to become a civil or environmental engineer (he didn't know which at the time) through the Michigan Tech PCMI program or study the history of U.S. foreign policy.  Unable to write a good statement of purpose for the history program, he applied to Michigan Tech despite misgivings of living in a place with so much snow.

After discovering that ice hockey is the greatest sport ever invented and that snowboarding is a good way to trick oneself into wishing for more snow, he has thoroughly enjoyed the Houghton winter.  Although, he still doesn't like snowshoeing. He is now looking forward to a UNDP internship in Samoa and International Senior Design in Bolivia over the summer, returning to Tech for another semester, and the Peace Corps at the beginning of 2008.