From Mobile to the mountains: How Vivienne Raczkowski ’26 found her place in environmental studies

Brandeis Stories

From Mobile to the mountains: How Vivienne Raczkowski '26 found her place in environmental studies

By Julian Cardillo '14
October 6, 2025

Vivienne Raczkowski '26 found herself hiking into rocky terrain, butterfly net in hand, with nothing but big sky overhead and the scenic landscapes of America's west as far as the eye could see.

Far from her hometown of Mobile, Alabama - and even farther from Brandeis' suburban campus - Raczkowski spent the summer studying pollinators across Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Glacier National Parks as part of a FIELDS Fellowship to examine the impacts of climate change. The fellowship is a pilot program funded by the Henry and Clara Booth Luce Foundation, and run by Colorado State University.

She joined 12 students from across the U.S. and U.K. on a research expedition that unfolded through long interstate drives and nature walks from remote campsites.

"We would drive out before sunrise, hike for half an hour or more with our nets and start sampling," said Raczkowski, an environmental studies major. "We'd catch bees and butterflies, record our observations and then release them. It was time-consuming, but also deeply rewarding."

One highlight came in Yellowstone, when the team encountered the western bumblebee, a species being considered for endangered status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's list of threatened species.

"It hadn't been seen in the area for years," she said. "To be part of rediscovering it was incredible. We treated every sighting with enormous care."

The literal nature of the work pushed Raczkowski out of her comfort zone. Nervous around bees at first, she grew more confident as the summer progressed, even learning how to carefully hold the sting-proned pollinators to study the intricate patterns on their wings. Raczkowski also overcame her fear of heights.

"It was both beautiful and a little bit scary," she said. "But it made me feel like we were really guests in nature."

Spending extended time in some of the world's most treasured landscapes also led to moments of pure awe. One day in Yellowstone's Cougar Meadows, Raczkowski paused during fieldwork to take in sweeping views.

"It was this massive field of wildflowers with mountains in the distance and a breeze blowing through," Raczkowski said. "There was no one else around, just us, and it felt amazing. I never thought I would experience anything like that."

Raczkowski took part in the fellowship at the encouragement of environmental studies professor Colleen Hitchcock, who also briefly joined the expedition.

Their fieldwork is shaping not only Raczkowski's undergraduate experience but also her career trajectory. Now back on campus, she is channeling what she learned into a senior thesis with Hitchcock and professor Richard Primack, using the environmental citizen science platform iNaturalist to track how climate change is affecting plant life in Concord, Mass. Graduate school is on Raczkowski's horizon as well, though she hopes to gain more field experience before pursuing a master's or PhD.

For Raczkowski, the FIELDS Fellowship didn't just provide a summer experience - it affirmed her sense of purpose.

"Brandeis has given me so many opportunities to explore and figure out what excites me," she said. "This fellowship showed me I'm on the right path.

"I've realized I really love fieldwork, especially studying plants and small insects. They're often overlooked because they're not as charismatic as larger animals, but they're just as important to ecosystems. I want to keep focusing on them."