Lennis Barlow discovers love of language and care for the environment leads to path full of possibilities
Coming to the University of Mississippi was not a natural choice for Lennis Barlow, of Madison. While she would be the first in her family to attend Ole Miss, by her senior year of high school, she was firm in her decision after falling in love with the culture on campus and in Oxford.
“On campus, I saw programs that interested me, professors who valued me and older students who had accomplished incredible things both inside and outside of the classroom,” Barlow said. “In Oxford, I saw a vibrant music and arts scene and a deep sense of community among residents.
“I could not then, and I still cannot now, imagine spending four years of college anywhere else.”
As she gets ready to graduate as a member of the Class of 2021 with majors in international studies and Chinese and a minor in environmental studies, she can now say with certainty that the things you are deeply and truly passionate about will find you over the course of college.
For Barlow, what has “found” her is a distinct purpose that combines her love of language and international cultures with her deep passion for sustainability and environmental issues.
Looking back, Barlow realizes that she didn’t need to know exactly what she was passionate about or have her whole life mapped out as a freshman.
“The best thing you can do is just devote your time to things you enjoy and people, experiences and causes that make you feel valued,” she explained.
This is a philosophy that Barlow took to heart her four years in Oxford. From academics to service and leadership, Barlow enthusiastically plugged into a wide range of activities important to her, including serving as president of Real Food Rebels,interning with the Office of Sustainability and serving as principal of infrastructure in the ASB presidential cabinet.
“One of the things I am most proud of having accomplished is establishing the first ASB Bike Scholarship program,” Barlow said. “This program awarded bike rentals to six students based on their appreciation of and need for a bike. This program promotes sustainable transportation in and around Oxford as well as increases accessibility to and promotion of the UM Bike Shop.”
Lennis worked with the Office of Sustainability on data collection efforts, in outreach capacities and as a member of the Green Student Intern Program team. Kendall Lane McDonald, associate director for that office, has inspired Lennis’ through her positive attitude and emphasis on the importance of team-work and relationship building in accomplishing tasks. The feeling is mutual.
“Lennis is both a leader and a friend to our other students; her positivity and willingness to take on new challenges has been inspiring to witness,” McDonald said. “I am very proud of her work and excited to see how she applies her talents and good nature to her future endeavors.”
A member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies, she also fully embraced study abroad opportunities and experiences.
“Studying abroad in Beijing, China, during the fall semester of my junior year was the best decision I made during undergrad,” Barlow said. “It exposed me to diverse people and different cultures, and it allowed me to greatly improve my language skills.”
For her senior thesis, Barlow found the perfect outlet to apply her language skills with international relations and sustainability by focusing on the specific ways in which environmentalism and water scarcity are discussed by Chinese policymakers and citizens. Her topic on the world’s largest water diversion project, known as the South-North Water Diversion Project in China, was inspired by many of the conversations she had with Beijing residents who struggled to access clean water.
She credits the language skills she acquired during her four years at Ole Miss for making her thesis research a reality.
Joshua Howard, Croft professor of history and director of the interdisciplinary minor in East Asian studies, served as Barlow’ thesis adviser.
“Lennis has been a terrific student to work with,” Howard said. “She is one of the most dedicated and motivated students I have taught over the past 20 years.
“Once she narrowed down the topic to a study of how the Chinese government has tried to frame the project and curb potential controversy, she produced a top-notch thesis. I’m so proud of Lennis.”
As Barlow looks at life after Ole Miss, she is excited about her next step and how she will attend the selective and prestigious Yenching Academy, a two-year master’s program at Beijing’s Peking University. At Yenching Academy, she plans to research Chinese environmental issues and policymaking and how they have impacted the environmental sentiments of Chinese citizens.
“Through the Yenching Academy, I will be able to further my current thesis research on Chinese water policy and environmental discourses while also continuing to develop my language skills,” Barlow said. “I am beyond excited for the opportunity to work alongside Yenching’s community of global scholars.”
After Yenching, she plans to attend law school in the United States, where she would like to focus on international environmental law. She hopes to use her knowledge of China to foster collaboration on environmental issues and problem-solving between the U.S. and China.
Barlow embraces the sentiment “live well, leave well” that she read in a book once. To her, this phrase means living your life fully wherever and whenever you are so that when you leave, you will look back on your life without regrets.
“I think this phrase is particularly applicable to the choices we make throughout college and the path which we choose for ourselves,” Barlow said.
“I know that the decisions which Ole Miss has given me the opportunity to make have allowed me to live well, and live a life I look back on and am proud of. For that reason, I know that when I leave Ole Miss, I will leave well.”
Story by Lisa Stone/University Marketing & Communications
