Growing up on the coast of Southern California allowed me to develop a deep passion for our natural environment at a young age. Throughout my life, I have worked and volunteered with a number of non profit organizations and have taken a special interest in social justice movements because of it. During my undergraduate studies at Connecticut College, I was able to combine these interests and graduated in December of 2022 with a major in Government and minor in Environmental Studies while under the college’s Social Justice and Sustainability Pathway. I continued my studies at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and graduated in May of 2024 with a Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy. Now, I am working as a NYSERDA sponsored Climate Justice Fellow with the Ulster County Government.