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When he had to decide where to go to college, Rylee Trendell ’19 from Coos Bay, Ore., faced that question that so many new students have confronted: Where can I combine my love for basketball with my love of amphibians?

OK, well, maybe it’s not a universal concern, but it was for Trendell, who has always loved the outdoors and the sciences and is a pretty fair basketball player as well. On the verge of graduation, Trendell says ��ɳ���� has given him what he wanted and needed. He had time on the court and time in the lab.

“Because it’s such a small campus, you’re able to form meaningful relationships with your professors,” said Trendell, a biology major and the son of a middle school science teacher. “The research that I’ve been doing right here has been an amazing experience that I probably wouldn’t have gotten at a larger university.”

At ��ɳ����, the 6-foot-3 Trendell made the basketball team. He also made the dean’s list, which requires a minimum of a 3.70 grade point average. Most important, he advanced his knowledge of the natural world and made personal connections with professors and other students.

Since graduation, Trendell has gone on to a career passing on his love of science to others: He's a middle school science teacher back in his hometown.