Freshman Ryan Zerfoss (Photo/Joanna Nasar)

As part of Inside CU's Student Perspective features, this series presents a look at the life of Freshman Ryan Zerfoss as he experiences his first academic year, and shares his insights, experiences and impressions with readers. This is part three of the series. Parts one and two can be found by clicking on the links.

Balancing academic and social interests is enough to cause stress for any student, especially those as active as Ryan Zerfoss, a freshman in the Environmental Design program. In spite of his active lifestyle that includes kicking soccer balls, shooting hoops, skiing down mountains, rafting rivers, making new friends, finding housing for next year and hitting the books, he approaches the end of his semester with laid back confidence.

Recently Zerfoss, 19, finished midterms for his three classes: introduction to humanities, social factors of environmental design and environmental design. He also completed a project for his environmental design class in which he examined a piece of ground and chose an ideal spot for a shelter based on wind and sunlight exposure. The project, like most others he undertakes, took 20 to 30 hours to complete. "It's a never ending process," he said.

Zerfoss tries to stay focused on his end career goal and the positive impact he hopes to make. "I have always wanted to be an architect, because it is one way you can make a difference and be more environmentally friendly," he said.

He hopes to take more advanced classes next year and learn about new cutting edge green technology. He is also looking forward to moving from the dorms into off campus housing with two friends. "I want to live on the hill," he said. He likes this location because it is within walking distance of school and his favorite restaurant, Brooklyn Heroes. For now, he is happy living in the dorms near his peers. "I have become close friends with everyone on my floor," said Zerfoss.

In a previous installment, Zerfoss had expressed interest in playing intramural basketball and skiing at nearby resorts. He has been preparing for playoffs with his team and skiing on the weekends. "I love Boulder, it's an awesome place. I like it because right now I can go skiing on the best mountain and then come back to play golf," he said. He has been a skier since the age of eight and considers ski season to be a part of his life.

Zerfoss likes to stay active yearlong. This summer he plans to work as a raft guide on the Colorado River in his hometown of Glenwood Springs. Navigating the brown waters of the Colorado River should prove easy after balancing a freshmen year workload.