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Know Your Dons: Elena Burkard

She's an accomplished equestrian who hopes to one day to be able to compete in a modern pentathlon which combines the disciplines of fencing, swimming, show jumping, pistol shooting and cross country running. In fact, her first sports memory is sitting on horse with her mother and she still enjoys riding when she returns home.

A chemistry major, she spent last summer working at a brewery in her native Germany, where she examined samples in different phases of the brewing process to assure proper fermentation of the yeast in the final stages of the brewing process.

She loves the solitude of the Lone Mountain Reading Room where she can be found diving into works by French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of her favorite book, "The Little Prince.