What happens when a country mouse goes to college in the city?

Well, for starters, she might find a way to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to students on campus or to teach local school children how to be environmentally friendly.

These are, in fact, just a few of the things Korin Tangtrakul accomplished after arriving on Temple’s campus.

Tangtrakul grew up near Lambertville, N.J., on a seven-acre farm, where she helped her mother raise chickens and tend the organic garden from which her family harvested herbs and vegetables for her father’s Thai restaurant. She says her image of the big city prior to moving to Philadelphia was one of crowds, filth and danger.

But through her major in geography and urban studies with a focus on environmental studies, Tangtrakul learned there was much more to city life. And she was able to bring her childhood experiences to bear on issues of urban renewal.

“My recent experiences in Philadelphia have helped me realize that there are connections with nature that can be made through urban farming and community gardens. These revitalized spaces have been immeasurable influences on my integration into city life, and have become a defining aspect of my career aspirations,” she said.

In addition to bringing the first farmers’ market to campus and developing Philly Eco Kids — an afterschool program that introduces middle school students to concepts such as renewable energy, buying local and litter and waste — Tangtrakul found time during her Temple tenure to visit the African nation of Malawi.

As a Temple Diamond Scholar, she turned her study abroad experiences in Malawi — a country with a largely rural population and an economy primarily based in agriculture — into an extensive research project: a cross-cultural comparison between Philadelphia and Malawi food systems and how they influence food preferences. Her findings were presented this spring in Seattle at the annual conference of the Association of American Geographers.

Taking part in every aspect of the outdoors that the university has to offer, Tangtrakul also was a member of Temple’s women’s rugby club. Not only was she integral in taking last year’s team to the national tournament — the Owls took second place — she was also given the opportunity to attend try outs for the U.S. rugby team.

For her dedication to conservation and sustainability and her strong interest in pursuing a career related to the environment, Trangtrakul was honored in her junior year with a Udall Scholarship. Next year, as the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, she will teach English in Thailand and work to promote environmental awareness among school children in that country.

After that, she plans to earn a master’s degree in landscape architecture and environmental design, with the ultimate goal of establishing a career in sustainable urban planning.

“Being at Temple has shaped the kind of environmentalist I have become and continually strive to be,” she said. “I have learned that nature is not just about parks and greenery, but about the built environment — how we travel through the city, where we find our food and what happens to our rainwater.”