May 20, 2026 Chasing bees and crafting community: environmental science grad finds her colony at سԹ
By Flynn Espe
Washington State University Tri-Cities graduate Rachel Holland spends a lot of her timethinking about thelittlethings—specifically,insects.She alsoenjoyssharing her fascination for these six-leggedinvertebratesandtheirremarkablebiodiversitywithothers.
“There are parasitoids who lay their eggs in other insects, bees that sneak their eggs into other bees’ nests,” Holland says. “There are ants which wage wars with termites, sneaky beetles who find ways around their rivals for mates, and bees that turn rotting flesh into honey. Idon’tthinkI’llever learn everything about them, which is exciting.”
Thatchitinouscuriosity isshaping her next big step.Having just completed herbachelor’sdegree inenvironmental and ecosystems sciences,she’llbecontinuingthis fallas aWSUgraduate studentintheMaster of Science in Entomology program,conductingresearch on native beesthroughthein Prosser.
“My specific research will be on alfalfa fields,” she says.“I’ll be going to Walla Walla half the time and then to Prosserto see if the pesticide that they’re using is harmful at a greater rate than another pesticide they’re using on the leafcutter bees and the alkali bees.”
Her path to this moment has been a rewarding, ifnot quite typical, one. As a nontraditional, first-generation college student, Holland’s first attempt at college ended on a sour note. After graduating from high school in 2007, she went straight into taking classes at Columbia Basin College, but with little motivation or direction, her grades suffered and she dropped out shortly thereafter.
Life moved on.Holland got married andsoonfocused on raising a family. While her husband went to trade school and into theworkforce, Hollandworked as a stay-at-home mom andembroidery artist,selling intricatecraftpiecesboth locally and online.Eventually,Hollanddecided she was ready topursuea collegeeducation—and hopefully find hercareerpassion—once again.
Although the plan was always to start at CBC and finish her bachelor’s degree at سԹ, she didn’t begin with environmental studies in mind.
“I originally was going to do elementary education with a history minor,” Holland says.
Heracademic focusbegan toshiftwhen she found herselfunexpectedly enjoyingtwo lab classesduring her final CBC quarter.One wasan environmental science lab that involved growing wheat under various conditions. The other was an entomology lab, whichincluded a final assignment thathad students catching insects in the wildand pinning them for identification.
“As soon as I had that net in my hand, I was ready to go,” Holland says. “The hands-onpart of it really transformed how I saw the world, and I thought, ‘I canactuallydo science.’”
Not content simply topass herclasses,Hollandsucceeded ingraduatingfrom CBCwith honors— no easy task, considering shewas still carrying her 2.0 GPA from years earlier.
“I had to drag that 2.0 out of the mud,”Holland says.
Arrivingat سԹ,hermomentumcontinued.Havingswitchedmajors,Hollandfoundthat environmental and ecosystem sciences offereda satisfying blend ofphysical sciencewith courseworkexploringthedelicate interplaybetweenmanmadeand natural systems.
“It covers so many bases but includes the human aspect of it, which is what I really like,” Holland says.
Outside of class,shebeganbuilding friendships and communitywherever she went.Shegot involved in campus clubs,serving in leadership roles such asEnvironmental Club event coordinator and co-president for theWomen in STEM Club.
As a senior, shealsoserved as the Associated Students of سԹ senatorfor the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences,advocating for students on arange ofissues like campus recyclinganda native plant garden for hands-on learning.
The سԹ Craft Club, which Holland co-founded, won the Student Organization of the Year award in 2025.
One ofHolland’sproudest accomplishmentsinvolved joining up withfriend and classmate Evalena Dalsboto launch andnurturea brand-new campus Craft Club, wherethey and others could shareand spreadtheir love for the crafting arts. The club grew in popularity asstudents of allbackgroundsmet upforsewing,sculpting, embroidery, andother seasonal craft projects.Their teamwentonto win the“Student Organizationof the Year”award at the 2025 Student Excellence Awards.
“That club is really fun because everybody can come in there— engineers, psychology majors, English majors, people I would not meet in classes,”Holland says.
Last May, Holland was honored as a recipient of the 2026 سԹ Award for Distinguished Career in Leadership.
Alongside her club involvement,Holland gainedadditionalexperienceasalab teachingassistantandstudent internfor the Institute for Northwest Energy Futures’Energy Ambassadors Network.It all added uptoHollandbeing honored last month as one of three recipients of the 2026 سԹAward for Distinguished Career in Leadership.
If it all sounds like a lot to juggle,it was. Fortunately, Holland says, she hada strong supportnetwork— including her husband andtwokids,now in the fourth and sixth grades.
“It’s definitely been a group effort,” she says.
Shealso creditsthehelpful guidance she received from theسԹ TRIOStudent Support Services team.
Case in point,Hollandsays she still recalls the stressand uncertaintyshe felt at the beginning of her junior year,when an overpacked course load had her questioning her degree path.“I was taking an ecologylab, statisticslab, and organic chemistry lab — and then another class that did not have a lab attached to it,” Holland says. “That was, on paper, only 15 credits.”
Not knowing ifshe’dmade apoor schedulingdecision orsimply needed topushthrough, Hollandsaysadrop-inmeetingto theTRIOofficebrought her clarityand relief.TRIOstaffconfirmedshe’dtaken on an unusuallyheavy courseloadandwalkedher through the steps of how toreviseher schedule.
“Icouldn’thave made that decision without TRIO being like, ‘You’renot insane.This isactually reallyhard what you decided to do,’” Holland says.
TRIO staff came through again this past yearwhenshewasstill consideringgradschool.By talking through the processand working with staff on a step-by-stepplan, Holland feltbetterprepared toask her professors the right questionsandultimately apply.
Having completed her bachelor’s degree in environmental and ecosystems sciences, Holland is continuing her academic journey as a WSU graduate student in the Master of Science in Entomology program.
Now,as a graduate student,Holland saysshe’slooking forward todoing more of what she loves — exploring the vast world of insects andengaging with other scientists in a laboratory setting.She’salso excited to be working at the intersection of ecology and agriculture.
“A major component of agriculture is insects, whether that is beneficial or pest,” she says. “I can see myself continuing to do research and make changes at the government level like intheWashington State Department of Agricultureor through education.”
When asked about advice she has forothersstarting their own collegejourney, Hollandencourages students toseek outprofessorsfor academic and careeradviceandto take advantage of new opportunities.
“Go to meetings that youprobably don’tthink you belong in. Go to an engineering meeting even ifyou’renot an engineer,” she says.“If you see an opportunity and you think,‘I might want to do that,’ just do it.What’sthe worstthat can happen?”