On a hot summer morning at Nahant Marsh in Davenport, Sachi DeWinter stood under a tower of birdhouses, gently lowering a nest box packed with tiny, feathered lives.
Every few days, she’d make the same rounds: lower the housing, count the eggs, check on hatchlings, track their growth. By the end of the summer, she’d helped monitor 197 eggs and more than 100 fledglings of a single songbird species — the purple martin.
“I became very invested in it,” she said, laughing. “I kind of felt like a proud mom when they all fledged.”
It’s not the kind of project you might expect from a student planning to double major in history and anthropology. But at Muscatine Community College (MCC), DeWinter found room to explore more than one interest and discovered, to her surprise, that she really enjoys science.
DeWinter was homeschooled from kindergarten through 12th grade. “I honestly had no idea what college would be like,” she said. “I’d never been in a formal school setting, so I was really nervous to start.”
The nerves didn’t last long.
“I remember after my first day, I came home and I was so excited. It went so well,” DeWinter said.
What made the difference was MCC’s size.
“You feel like you know everyone. You know your teachers. Classes are small. It’s a very comforting environment,” DeWinter said.
“Science I Can See”
In high school, science was not DeWinter’s favorite subject. “Not at all. Then I came to MCC and took my first science class — General Biology — and afterward, I thought, ‘Okay, this is interesting. It’s not so bad,’” she said.
DeWinter kept going, taking more biology, environmental science, and even chemistry.
“I like science I can see. I like ecology. I like the environment. If we’re outside surveying birds, I can see what we’re learning about, and it’s so much easier to understand,” she said.
Last summer, DeWinter spent three months as a research intern at Nahant Marsh, a 382-acre nature preserve in Davenport.
She joined seven other interns, each with a different project. The group monitored everything from turtles to bats, and everyone pitched in on each other’s projects.
Her focus was the purple martins that nest at the marsh.
“A couple times a week I’d lower down the nests, check how they’re doing, see how many eggs there were, if they hatched, and how they’re growing,” DeWinter said.
Her internship was hands-on, muddy, and at times, technical. She learned to test water quality. She learned how to catch turtles. She learned how different projects fit together to support conservation.
“It was fun. We built a diverse skill set because we all helped each other. Even though I was the only intern who wasn’t a STEM major, I felt like I belonged there,” DeWinter said.
At the end of the summer, each intern created a research poster and presented it at an open house for family and friends. Her poster didn’t stop there. It was one of several submitted to the Advanced Technological Education Conference, a national event focused on community college students and their projects.
Seven of the eight interns applied. Four of them — including DeWinter — were selected to go.
In late October, she traveled to Washington, D.C., to stand beside her poster and talk with educators, industry partners, and fellow students about her work at the marsh.
“It was very exciting, and being accepted was really special,” she said.
Back on campus, DeWinter is completing her associate degree with plans to transfer to a four-year college next year.
“History has always been my favorite subject,” she said. “I think it’s interesting to realize that people in the past weren’t that different from us... you see parallels and surprisingly modern things.”
DeWinter hopes to work in research, possibly in historic preservation or cultural resource management. “I want to continue learning while also helping preserve our shared heritage,” she said.
At the same time, her summer at Nahant Marsh and her science classes at MCC have her thinking about conservation and environmental science, too.
“I have a lot of different interests, and it’s hard for me to narrow them down. I’m trying to keep my options open and see where college takes me,” DeWinter said.
Finding Her Voice
Outside of class, DeWinter has thrown herself into campus and community life. She joined Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for community colleges, last spring. She worked as an English tutor for a semester. And she sings in Civic Chorale.
“It’s such a fun mix of ages,” she said. “Very few college students, mostly adults and retirees. Everyone is always making jokes. It’s light and low-pressure, but we’re doing serious music. This semester we’re performing “Messiah.” It’s difficult and really rewarding.”
Those experiences, along with supportive faculty and staff, have shaped her idea of what she wants next.
“As I’m looking for a transfer college, I’m definitely seeking out a smaller environment,” DeWinter said. “I don’t really see myself at a huge university. I like knowing my teachers and feeling like part of a community.”
If she could talk to a high school student who isn’t sure what to do after graduation, she’d point them to EICC. Her advice is simple: it’s a supportive place to start while you explore your interests and next steps.
Then DeWinter circles back to the feeling that defined her two and a half years at MCC.
“It’s just a very comforting environment,” she said. “It’s very easy to make connections with people. I’ve really enjoyed my time here.”
