Name: Hattie Hoffman
Majors: biology with a music minor
Keeps busy with ECCO Haus, the Sustainability Department, REuse Room, and NCAA softball
It’s not always easy to merge two distinct halves of a whole brain.
Sophomore Hattie Hoffman grew up surrounded by music, harnessing intuition and creativity through instruments from a young age. Simultaneously, she has a passion for naturalistic sciences and plant ecology. These interests developed into a distinctive degree plan: Hattie majors in biology at Northland College, while minoring in music.
While this may seem like a left-brain/right-brain struggle for some, Hattie has managed to synthesize these fields of study, giving her the “wide spectrum of experiences” she values so highly.
Hattie is involved in multiple groups on campus, and when she’s not busy attending Sustainability Department meetings, organizing Northland’s famous ReUse Room, or participating in ECCO Haus events, Hattie finds comfort and creativity in pursuing her childhood passion that has grown into an educational minor.
Hattie started on piano at age five and graduated to guitar in eighth grade.
She is now pursuing music production in her native Minneapolis, St. Paul area, assisting local artists with everything from photography to audio sample production.
Hattie works with the multimedia company POSA Productions Collective and Root Note Music, networking across diverse facets of the music industry, getting involved in multiple phases of recording, editing, producing live performances and creating art for various artists and groups. She has incorporated her own photography into promotional material for different music collectives and has continued producing her own acoustic and electronic music.
“My ultimate goal is to support the passions of other artists while making it more possible for them to reach their goals.”
Hattie hopes to integrate her experience with Twin Cities music collectives with social justice activism, especially environmental activism.
“Progressive movement in today’s society is still occurring,” Hattie says. “Music is one of the most efficient channels to change.”
Hattie’s interest in biology, motivated her to apply for a 2015 summer internship at the Borner Farm Project, an urban organic farm in Prescott, Wisconsin, committed to season-extension and permaculture principles, complete with livestock and multiple honeybee hives.
Although she had little farm experience, Hattie said she fell into the routines of the agricultural life naturally, supported by a farm community that gave her the knowledge to actively participate in various projects.
“I had the opportunity to create lesson plans and educational projects for people of all ages, teaching little kids about honeybees and teaching elderly adults how to properly take care of a garden,” Hattie said.
She added that these interactions gave her insight on how to contribute to Northland College’s social and ecological responsibility through her involvement in different parts of the Northland community.
“Northland gives you everything you need to succeed in anything you want to do, and is one of the most supportive communities I have ever been in,” she said.
Looking toward her future at Northland and onward, Hattie hopes to keep the future an open book, absorbing what people and places have taught her.
“For now, I am going to continue to bridge connections between science and art, and ultimately continue growing here at Northland College,” she said.