Meet Sasha Collins: Primate Researcher, Environmentalist, Friend, & WSA Alumni

Waldorf education helped Sasha Collins find his calling, but it also taught him how to live a balanced and fulfilling life.

A lifelong animal lover, Sasha Collins (Class of 2016) has particularly fond memories of working on his 4th grade project on grizzly bears at The Waldorf School of Atlanta. Today, Sasha works with animals every day as a research specialist at the Emory National Primate Research Center at Emory University, where he earned a B.A. in Environmental Science in May 2024. 

A deep love and respect for nature is something Sasha credits directly to his education at The Waldorf School of Atlanta. He also tells us that WSA helped him succeed in a field he is passionate about while keeping his personal life in balance. Read on to hear more about what Sasha loved about WSA, how Waldorf grads stand out in college, and his favorite memories from elementary and middle school.

Tell us about your background and education.

I was at The Waldorf School of Atlanta from the start. I was in three-day preschool, then five-day kindergarten, and straight into first grade. Mr. Smith was my first through eighth grade teacher, and that was a very special experience. 

After graduating, I went to Academe of the Oaks, a sister [Waldorf] high school, which is about a mile away from The Waldorf School of Atlanta. From there I went to Emory University. At first, I was a business major. Then I realized I wanted to major in something that I was passionate about, and something I've always loved is animals and nature—which is very much a result of being a Waldorf student. 

I majored in environmental science, and I got really interested in primate studies. I now work at the Emory Primate Center. It’s a research specialist position, where I spend most of my day watching the monkeys and taking notes on their behavior. I really enjoy it. Eventually, I want to get back into environmental science, and whether that's out in the field or more policy-related, I'm not totally sure, but my goal is to stay in this field.

You feel your Waldorf experience helped you find your calling?

100 percent. We were always involved in nature—learning about nature and the outdoors. In 1st through 12th grade we would go on a yearly class trip, and that always involved camping, boating, and/or hiking

How did your Waldorf education prepare you to go into the sciences?

I feel like it prepared me very well. It was a pretty big jump from The Waldorf School of Atlanta to Academe—high school was obviously more rigorous in the sciences and math—but I felt very prepared by both Waldorf and Academe.

One thing that really helped me in college was my time management skills. Throughout Waldorf and in high school, I became really good at managing my workload with homework and studying to still have time for my hobbies or to hang out with friends. I don't think I would have made it through college if I’d had to spend all my free time studying. The time management skills that I was taught at Waldorf really helped me later on.

Did you notice any differences in how you approached learning compared to your peers in college?

My friends from Waldorf are all very visual learners. Depending on the course, I feel like we're at an advantage in that sense. I also think a lot of Waldorf students, including me, are very good at adapting—being able to learn in different ways—because we were taught in so many different ways by different teachers at Waldorf. Waldorf made us very well-rounded people in all aspects of life. In terms of academics, I think that definitely helped.

On that note, do you think Waldorf made you more open-minded or willing to try something new?

Yeah, definitely. I think one thing it definitely instilled in me is this feeling that—and this sounds a little counterintuitive—work and school are not the most important thing. Being kind and enjoying life are, to me, the most important thing. I always strive to do well and get good grades, but I think what Waldorf has helped me do is not stress too much about things I don't need to stress about. 

In that sense, it's made me very open-minded to say, You know, maybe this isn't for me and maybe I need to try something else. It's definitely something that I've carried with me all through college. I would say I did a very good job with grades and so on, but I was always balancing my happiness with what I thought was important. 

Do you see other ways that your Waldorf education is still part of your life? 

Definitely. There's something different in the way that Waldorf students are socially. With the guys that I've grown up with, we are able to express our emotions and be more open to emotions than the guys I met in college. We had a really good social upbringing, and it helped us, outside of school. It made us emotionally mature at a younger age.

What are some of your best memories from The Waldorf School of Atlanta?

That's so tough. There are so many! Obviously, every class trip was just a blast. I don't think it would have been the same experience without them.

I always enjoyed anything that had to do with animals and nature. In 4th grade, we had an animal block, and every student picked an animal to do a report and a presentation on. I chose a grizzly bear. I also really enjoyed our history courses—the Roman Empire, Norse mythology, things like that. Our teacher Mr. Smith did such a good job retelling these old stories. A big part of what made our class experience so good was the teachers. They clearly cared so much, and it's such a nurturing environment. I really appreciate what great teachers they were.