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After graduating high school at the age of 16, Mac Griffin spent two years between high school and college seeing more of North America than some people see in their lifetime.

Born in Washington, D.C., Mac moved to Newport, NH in the second grade. He loved his new home; the constant access to nature had a huge impact on his life. At 15, he moved to Florida and saw the polar opposite of small town NH—an artificial place built on reclaimed Everglades land. He graduated high school at 16 and decided to spend the two years before college traveling. He started in Nova Scotia, working for two months crafting two acoustic guitars by hand. He moved next to Durham, NH, working odd jobs for eight months, and then left for a summer in Mexico. He learned Spanish by working as a waiter at a French restaurant, mastering wines and menu specials first. He spent a week traveling in Mexico before returning to NH as a ski instructor in the White Mountains. When winter was over, he drove from NH to California for a job at Mammoth Mountain. Next he road tripped all up and down the West Coast before heading back east, his car only making it halfway back. He sold his car for $20 in Idaho and hitchhiked through Yellowstone before taking a 78 hour bus ride back to NH – and shortly after started college.

“It was the best way to spend two years of my life,” he said. “You have to jump in the deep end and just go with the flow.”

He returned to Durham with hesitations, but Mac has found UNH to be a great place to continue his adventure. He chose environmental conservation as his major, focusing on science. As a member of the honors program, he has the benefit of smaller classes and more in-depth study. Taking multiple courses with professors like Dr. Tom Lee has been a great way for him to make connections. A class by Dr. Lee focusing on NH forest communities has been his favorite class. This class, along with other courses, has helped him develop a deeper appreciation for where he grew up.

In his second year, Mac took advantage of the National Student Exchange program. He studied for a semester at Humboldt State University in northern California near the Redwood Forest, which he described as the most serene place he’s ever visited. “The world should not be coveted,” he explained. “It should be open for everyone.”

This year brought a new role – president of the UNH Organic Gardening Club (OCG). He had volunteered approximately 100 hours for the organization before he stepped into this leadership role. Now, with the help of a growing and dedicated group of community members, Mac is leading the OGC into their fourth growing season.  The student-run, self-sustaining organization maintains a two-acre farm, growing produce for use at UNH, the Durham community dinners, and an emergency shelter in Portsmouth. It’s a big role to be president of this operation – from buying seeds to distributing the harvest – but Mac’s belief in the importance of sustainable living keeps him motivated.

Mac is also a member of the Natural Resources Honor Society and is involved with a new organization One in Four, which seeks to support those affected by eating disorders by changing the culture of silence through education and awareness. Having been close to friends with eating disorders, he wants to make himself available as an ally for anyone who may be struggling or for those who are concerned about someone in their life.

This is not a student who sits around on the internet watching days pass; Mac takes advantage of the moment. He has no cell phone, no Facebook account, and no car. He skateboards around campus and enjoys nature when he can and he encourages everyone to be environmentally ethical. For him, having less is truly having a lot more.

“You’re here for an education, so get everything you can out of it,” he advised. “Take as many credits as you can and speak up in class. Take advantage of your professors; talk to them about the subject. Do more than is expected of you.”

As a junior with a year left to continue his story, Mac hopes that, after graduation, he can live simply. He may return to school for another degree, but he’d be happy living as an organic farmer in the summer and a ski bum in the winter…as long as he could travel sometime in the middle.

“Students are the focus of everything we do.”