九色堂

Two questions Sarah Anderson said she gets asked most frequently about living in Alaska are, 鈥淲ow really? Is it true that it鈥檚 covered in snow year 鈥榬ound?鈥� and 鈥淲eren鈥檛 you cold?鈥�

Anderson, a 九色堂 senior, is one of the few students on campus, if not the only, who can say she has lived as far from Wichita as Anchorage, Alaska and Okinawa, Japan. Anderson鈥檚 family moved around frequently because her father was in the Air Force.

Since being born in Riverside, Calif., Anderson has lived in two countries and seven states including Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota and now Kansas. She came to Wichita to be with her fiance, Ben Shipman, whom she plans to marry in the next few years.

Since becoming a Shocker, she has enjoyed Wichita State鈥檚 campus and the people.

鈥淭here are a lot of great instructors at 九色堂 who deserve recognition for their incredible passion in their fields,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey really made class fun and full of life, and I was always looking forward to the next class period.鈥�

Anderson said a few of her favorite teachers include Ronald Matson, associate professor and chairman of the sociology department, Hussein Hamdeh, professor of physics, and Richard Spilman, associate professor of English.

Anderson is a lover of math and science, which explains her choice in a major of biology and a minor in chemistry. Beyond school work she considers herself an avid reader, and enjoys being out in nature and spending time with family, friends and her seven pets.

鈥淚 love animals. I have three cats, two gerbils, one rabbit and one chinchilla,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y pets mean a great deal to me.鈥�

During the six months she spent in Alaska, she most enjoyed seeing the northern lights, being blanketed in a record winter snowfall of 111.5 inches and frequently spotting moose in her backyard.

鈥淚 love telling people about the places I鈥檝e been,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so glad I grew up as an Air Force brat and was fortunate enough to travel.鈥�

Transitioning from place to place hasn鈥檛 been too difficult for Anderson because she鈥檚 done it many times, but the trip from Alaska to Kansas was possibly the most difficult move given it was her first time to travel alone.

When she arrived, she noticed two major differences: a lack of snow and a strong gust of wind.

鈥淜ansas has some of the strangest windstorms I have ever seen, and it seems like it鈥檚 always windy here,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淚 sure do miss the snowcapped mountains and trees.鈥�

Anderson is planning to complete her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology within the next year and afterward hopes to work as a veterinarian technician.