Show Notes:
Scott Cole describes his initial struggles at Harvard, dropping out after freshman year, and returning multiple times before finally graduating in 2012. He shares his first dropout experience, including a brief stint in California and a return to Harvard for sophomore year. He details his various jobs and adventures, including working at a car wash, landscaping, and a research assistant position at Harvard Forest.
Working on a Ranch in Wyoming
Scott thinks back to his days working at a ranch in Wyoming, where he learned cowboy skills and participated in cattle drives. He describes his move to Middlebury, Vermont, where he worked on an organic farm, a cross-country ski area, and a bakery. He also shares where he learned to cook.
Back to School and on to a Law firm
Scott discusses his return to Boston to finish college, working part-time at a law firm and attending school. He describes the challenges of balancing work, school, and financial aid, leading to another dropout. Scott talks about his relationship ending and moving back to California, where he worked at Sequoia National Park resort teaching cross country skiing. He quit this job to go to Guatemala with his dad's school group and spent some time there before moving to Oakhurst and working at a restaurant where he learned cooking skills. He worked there for two years until he paid off his student loans, and with his new found freedom, decided to hit the road and hike through the Sierra Mountains. He also talks about working in Fresno and in a job at the UC Cooperative Extension promoting school gardening as a way to teach nutrition education.
From Alaska to Nevada
Scott recounts his time working at a back country lodge in Alaska, teaching cross-country skiing, and working as a hiking guide and naturalist. He later moved to Boston to help a friend renovate a Victorian house and then worked with the Boston Children's Museum. After Boston, Scott describes his move to Michigan to be with a girlfriend in graduate school and working at the Maharishi Vedic University in their organic greenhouse. He also talks about his work with the Nevada Conservation Corps, cooking for a chainsaw crew, and his job at the White Mountain Research Station where he looked after a herd of sheep and cooked for the researchers. Scott finally decided to return to Harvard to finish his last six classes and talks about his experience completing his degree.
Riding the Wave
After completing his degree, Scott biked across the country with a friend. He reflects on his diverse experiences, including working with his hands, helping a friend who is a sculptor on building a sculpture for an exhibit. He talks about “The Table” tour working in Death Valley, and volunteering at various places, and biking in Canada from the Rockies to Bella Coola. He discusses the challenges of returning to school at an older age and the joy of completing his degree. Scott mentions his love for gardening, cooking, music, hiking, and outdoor activities, and how these hobbies filled his off-hours.
Harvard Reflections
An English major at Harvard, Scott mentions seeing Alan Ginsberg read at Harvard. He mentions taking a poetry class and a printing class. He also mentions Literature and Human Suffering with James Engell, Chicano Literature with visiting UCLA professor Héctor Calderón, Folklore and Mythology with Simon Bronner, a poetry class with Henri Cole, and Place, Space, and Region with Stephanie Burt.
Timestamps:
00:02: Scott Cole's Journey through Harvard and Beyond
06:36: Exploring Different Career Paths
09:41: Returning to School and Balancing Work and Education
40:07: Adventures in Alaska and Beyond
54:13: Reflecting on Life Experiences and Future Plans
Links:
Scott's email:
scottrc_30@yahoo.com
Instagram: scootersride
Historical building preservation: Welcome to HistoriCorps
Adobe restoration: https://www.cstones.org
Adobe courses and home builder support:
Adobe in Action: https://www.adobeinaction.org
Reuben Margolin art: Waves – Reuben Margolin – Kinetic Artist
Science Research Station:
White Mountain Research Center — Supporting scientific achievement for 75 years.
Featured Non-profit:
The featured non-profit of this week’s episode is brought to you by Jared Eigerman who reports:
“Hi. I'm Jay Eigerman, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 Report is Street Lab. Street Lab is a nonprofit that works in neighborhoods throughout New York City to activate and improve spaces, including pedestrian streets, at no cost to the public. I've been a board member since 2011 when they first started in Boston. I especially like the street lab sales programming kits at reasonable cost so others around the world can deploy them on their own. Please take a look at streetlab.org. Now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.”
To learn more about their work, visit: streetlab.org.
