Skiing, Music and Sustainability: How One Student-Athlete Pursues Her Many Passions at DU

Sidney Barbier’s calendar is fuller than most.

The University of Denver senior is double majoring in environmental science in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and viola performance at the Lamont School of Music, while also competing as a Division I athlete on the ski team.

But that’s not all. During her time at DU, Barbier has traveled to California and Nevada for environmental science-related internships and co-authored an undergraduate textbook for DU’s intro to sustainability course in the Department of Geography & the Environment. This year, she’s also serving as chair of the Undergraduate Student Government’s (USG) sustainability committee.

The opportunity to pursue her many passions and “bring all three worlds together” was a significant reason Barbier was drawn to DU in the first place.

“What I found at DU is there are so many different resources and opportunities available if you look for them,” she says. “If you are interested in going that extra step, there are professors who are totally willing to help you.”

Thanks to continued support from her professors and coaches, Barbier has never had to choose only one of her passions to focus on.

Musical zeal and thinking outside the box

Barbier started playing the violin at the age of 10, but eventually switched to viola.

As a student in Lamont, Barbier studies with Basil Vendryes, an adjunct faculty member and principal violist of the Colorado Symphony. Because of her packed schedule, Barbier takes private music lessons each week on top of her music and studio classes.

She is also a member of the Lamont Symphony Orchestra and the Bluegrass Ensemble.

Bluegrass Ensemble Director Michael Furry has witnessed Barbier grow as a musician and as a person. Her first quarter in the ensemble, they worked on Billy Strings' song "Long Forgotten Dream” and, after lots of practice, “she nailed it at the concert,” he says.

“She has stepped up in every way possible with the ensemble. It is students like her that make my job so enjoyable. It truly is a blessing," Furry says.

Combining her love of music and the environment, Barbier helped put on an Earth Week concert at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts this past April, featuring Swedish songstress and Earth sustainability activist GAEYA. Barbier is also in the process of writing an environmental justice musical.

“There’s different ways to combine passions if you think a little outside of the box,” she says.

Learning to Love the Planet in the Great Outdoors

Growing up in the mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Barbier is no stranger to outdoors activities and respect for the environment. She was raised in a family of hunters, fishers, hikers, mountain bikers and backpackers and learned to ski as soon as she could walk.

Barbier has competed in at least eight NCAA races in each of her three seasons, including representing the team in each year’s conference championship meets.

Barbier fondly remembers her time in the eco club in elementary school and the role she played in banning Styrofoam in the lunchroom. She and her fellow club members put a proposal together and presented the plan and a petition to the school board, and the school switched to reusable plastic trays.

“It showed that I could make a difference even if it was in one classroom in an elementary school in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. That gave me the feeling of, ‘I can do this. I can make a difference,’ and that’s been my drive ever since,” she says.

At DU, Barbier has already made her mark on the sustainability front. 

As chair of the USG sustainability committee, Barbier has helped spearhead an initiative that provides free, zero-waste laundry detergent stations for all students. 

She also accidentally signed up for a graduate class called, 'Human-Environment Interactions,' but—given her strong interest in the subject matter—professors Paul Sutton and Helen Hazen allowed Barbier to take it anyway. 

Thirteen chapters and about 100,000 words later, she is now a co-author of an undergraduate textbook called “An Introduction to Environment, Society and Sustainability.” 

The textbook, which was the focus of the class, will be used by future DU students for the Introduction to Sustainability course offered in the Department of Geography and the Environment.

Barbier was able to provide a unique perspective as an undergraduate student herself when it came to the material. 

“It was a really cool experience doing research that way because I had the perspective of what undergrads are actually going to engage with,” she says.

Writing a textbook is a monumental task that often requires writing and revising several drafts, but Hazen says Barbier rose to the challenge admirably. Having Barbier in her class was not only an opportunity to teach an exceptional student but also to learn from one.

“Sidney’s work ethic and determination were second to none from the start to the end of the project. She is a genuinely exceptional student,” Hazan says.

A three-time DU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winner and member of the National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team in each of her three seasons on the squad, Barbier has also excelled beyond the classroom and the slopes.

Since 2022, she has spent her summers interning for environmental organizations in Nevada, California and Colorado. 

This past summer, Barbier worked as a publications and production intern at Water Education Colorado, and she also served as a camp counselor with the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science in California, co-leading “bug camps” to help six- to nine-year-olds foster a love and respect for insects and the outdoors. 

As she begins her senior year and reflects on all that she’s accomplished as a student-athlete at DU, Barbier admits it hasn’t always been easy—but it’s always been worth it.

“You could look at everything I’ve done, and it looks amazing, but it’s obviously not easy,” she says. “But there are people out there that will support you no matter what and that is really cool.”