In my second quarter at the UW, I took an honors class entitled “Cultural Landscapes of the Salish Sea Region.” While I came into the course expecting some standard information on environmental science, I left with my entire understanding of the field completely changed. My professor weaved together science, history, political science and Indigenous studies to give an interdisciplinary understanding of our region. Although I was saddened to learn about how drastically humans have altered the Seattle landscape, I was incredibly inspired by those who worked to resist this. I see strong parallels between past environmental destruction and future environmental problems we will face.

In my sophomore year, I worked with three classmates to study the water quality in Ravenna stream. We spent weeks collecting data in the stream, culminating in a full-length scientific paper. We were heartbroken by what we found--the stream was so polluted as to be hazardous to the animal populations. This experience confirmed my commitment to advocacy on behalf of environmental issues.

Two years after I co-founded the UW's undergraduate history journal, The Historical Review, we published our first issue in 2021. Working on this journal showed me the importance of looking to history as inspiration for contemporary environmental preservation. In my senior year, I served as the Managing Editor of the journal.

One of the best classes I've taken at the UW was the Political Ecology of Death in the Anthropocene with Professor Karen Litfin. This was a heavy course, which explored how the Anthropocene intersects with our concepts of death and dying. It really altered how I see the mortality of the planet and informs my work in climate policy.