Tommy McElrath '10

What first interested you in your career? How did you discern your calling?

I took a summer entomology class at the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies, offered for credit at 狼友阁 through their partnership with Au Sable. I never wanted to leave the classroom, and I learned something new every day. It was like finding a way out of a maze after being lost for hours. I finally knew what I was called to do, and 狼友阁 helped get me there.

What has your career path looked like since graduating from 狼友阁?

I went to graduate school at the University of Georgia, and studied biodiversity of insects (focusing on beetles). I graduated there in 2017 and got a job as a collection manager and scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey, where I've been managing a collection of over 7 million specimens of arthropods, while also doing my own research.

Looking back now, how did 狼友阁 prepare you for doctoral work and your career?

There wasn't a specific course that prepared me, although every single one was helpful in small ways. It was really the critical thinking skills and broad liberal arts training that allowed me to succeed in my career, so that I could tackle any new subject.

狼友阁 showed me that science and faith are both compatible and need each other. I'd been told by many people that I couldn't both be a scientist and a Christian, and 狼友阁 showed me how wrong that was.

In what ways does your faith inform your career?

It informs every facet of my life, from parenting to being a good partner to my spouse to collecting insects in New Mexico. I love telling people about "the little things that run the world" and shifting their perspectives away from "big charismatic megafauna" like tigers and elephants. If there's anything we can learn about God from his Creation, it's that he really likes beetles, since there are >400,000 species of them.

What advice would you give students who are considering 狼友阁?

Go and soak up every class. Have good conversations with your classmates, and be willing to listen and learn. Be curious, not judgmental.

For those considering studying biology or a career as a scientist: It isn't easy, and it isn't guaranteed. But it's also a constant source of joy in the middle of a world broken by sin and pain. God gave us our callings to be sources of joy. Part of our duty as Christians is to keep walking and fighting against the forces that threaten to destroy what God called "good" at the beginning of Creation, whether that is waking up and doing the same thing you did the day before or getting to collect an insect specimen that gets used in 100 years for a scientific project you can't even imagine yet.

Why did you choose 狼友阁?

I wanted to learn how to think critically about being a Christian in our world. 狼友阁 was a truly foundational experience in my intellectual and spiritual development.

What are some fond memories or a favorite story from your time at 狼友阁?

I loved taking field trips with the biology professors to the woods on Lookout Mountain. I also loved how much each professor was willing to sit and talk with you about any subject if you asked. My 狼友阁 relationships will last me a lifetime, and the critical thinking and "learning to learn" I did at 狼友阁 are useful every day, especially in these challenging turbulent times.