I am currently in my first year of graduate school at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, focusing on Community Development and Housing. My goal is to build a career that brings communities together through the enhancement of nature. My interest in this field began during my junior year at NIU, where I researched environmental injustices related to heat indices in American cities in the course, Environment in the Social Sciences and Humanities. This interest was further solidified through my senior year work with Lake County's tree initiative program. By researching and developing deliverables for their program, I witnessed firsthand how a community can successfully bridge together while simultaneously caring for the environment around them.