Harpur student spotlight: Ruth Fatolitis

Although Ruth Fatolitis was raised in one of the largest cities in the world, she finds a fascination in the opposite — small towns and rural environments.

“I’m from New York City, so rural areas are so different than anything I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “It’s so amazing to me that not even five hours away from where I grew up is just farmland.”

Fatolitis is a junior at Binghamton University double majoring in environmental studies and French literature. She is also a part of Binghamton Scholars, an invitation-only honors program for undergraduate students.

While urban planning is what she hopes to break into, she has a strong appreciation for French literature and the language, which she has been speaking since the seventh grade.

“I love the French language in general, but the thing about being environmental is that there’s not a lot of opportunity for critical analysis in the classes,” Fatolitis said. “So I enjoy the literary analysis that’s part of the French major, which is why I decided to go with literature instead of linguistics.”

Fatolitis said she first became interested in French literature during her senior year of high school, when she read “Candide,” a satire written by French philosopher Voltaire.

“I’ve seen excerpts of the novel with English translations, but it’s not the same as being able to read it in French,” Fatolitis said. “I wanted to be able to read more literature in the original language and be able to understand the linguistic nuances because Voltaire was very clever with his wording. Because of that work, my favorite time periods to read are the 18th and 19th centuries.”

Before coming to Binghamton University, Fatolitis had no idea what she wanted to study, though she had an interest in both French and environmental planning.

During her first year, she decided to take a French literature class to fill one of her general education requirements.

“I took French 241 and I just loved (visiting associate professor) Dora Polachek,” Fatolitis said. “Taking this class reminded me that I didn’t want to leave French behind.”

For her environmental studies degree, Fatolitis knew she wanted to major in something that would not only help the greater good of humanity, but also the environment as a whole.

“It’s important to me that I study something that would let me help people because my dad is a nurse and my mom is a social worker,” she said. “I chose environmental planning because it allows me to help municipalities adjust to climate change.”

Fatolitis spent a summer interning at the Southern Tier 8, a regional planning agency that supports sustainable community programs in eight local counties, including Broome County.

Working on its economic development plan, she specifically studied rain resources at the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

“Water resources are what I find most interesting, and I really want to work with flood-prone municipalities and help them adjust their water planning to rising sea levels and increased storms,” she said.

That same summer, Fatolitis was also an intern at Binghamton University Acres, the on-campus farm that grows all-natural food for students.

“The experience was cool, and we pretty much did all of the work associated with growing the food, cultivating the beds and planting,” she said. “We also got to go to commercial farms in the area, and we helped a local farm with its harvest. It’s not only interesting but also important to me to learn about the issues that farmers are facing.”

While studying French literature and environmental studies may seem unrelated, Fatolitis hopes to one day merge her knowledge of the French language with environmental planning.

“I guess they’re both two completely different interests, though I could see them potentially coinciding,” she said. “A lot of former French colonies are currently extremely vulnerable to climate change, so I do like the idea of potentially taking my knowledge of environmental planning and going into one of those colonies on a humanitarian job and working to help them adapt.”

When she’s not immersed in a novel or outside studying Binghamton’s environment, Fatolitis connects with the campus through the Rainbow Pride Union and The Global Health Impact.

She serves as the treasurer of the Rainbow Pride Union, an organization that provides a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ students on campus and in the surrounding areas.

“I love how welcoming the environment is,” she said. “It’s important to us that our people and room are safe and inviting to students who may not be comfortable being LGBTQ elsewhere, and I do think we’ve managed to do a good job with that.”

Fatolitis also writes grants for The Global Health Impact, an on-campus research project that focuses on evaluating medications and pharmaceutical companies that treat neglected diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

Although Fatolitis isn’t sure where she will end up in the future, she hopes that her studies will encourage others to think about the importance of protecting the environment.

“Whenever you use water or eat your food, always think about where it’s coming from,” Fatolitis said. “For me, the question I like to ask myself is: Who or what is being hurt for you to have useful things that are usually taken for granted?”