Patrick Donez

Patrick Donez is going to be a farmer. At least, this summer, he will be. Eager to escape the endless and unsettling sprawl of the Inland Empire, Patrick is heading back to The Mountain School in rural Vermont, where he spent his spring semester of junior year, to join the summer farm crew. Being completely immersed in nature during his semester away solidified his long-standing passion for environmentalism. Some of his favorite memories were during the pandemic, when Patrick and his friends went hiking and camping from the mountains to the coast. On the drive, Patrick was likely listening to what he definitively calls his favorite band, Modest Mouse. Their powerful tracks and lyrics about how rapidly expanding suburbs are destroying nature inspire Patrick not only to play guitar, but to follow his gut. Hence, he is getting out of SoCal and heading up to Reed College in Oregon to study Environmental Studies. “I wanted to go to Reed because it felt like people were weird there in a way that’s different from where I live. I also just think it’s really beautiful there,” Patrick said. “I’m excited to live in Oregon.”