Laurie Kenney

wes grabs stars gold

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Wesleyan has just earned a AASHE STARS Gold sustainability rating (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education).  This is the second time we’ve received Gold due in large part to the Sustainability & Environmental Justice Pedagogical Initiative’s expansion of these topics in the curriculum and the implementation work of Wesleyan’s Sustainability Strategic Plan. 

Wesleyan’s sustainability website includes links to past STARS reports and the 2026 report. Thank you to all on campus and within the community who helped to make these gains happen! 

from campus to the ct capitol

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On Wednesday, February 18, Wes students, faculty, and staff joined former state rep Christine Palm, founding director, The Active Voice, for From Campus to the Capitol: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Transforming Wesleyan Student Voices into Connecticut Environmental Policy Change. The event was sponsored by the Bailey College of the Environment.

2026 summer fellowship app now closed!

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The Bailey College of the Environment (COE) Research Fellowship Program allows current Wesleyan undergrads to undertake research on environmental topics under the guidance of a faculty mentor, either during the summer or during fall or spring semesters. Projects must relate to any of the broad themes covered by Environmental Studies and the Bailey COE. Fellowships are available to current Wesleyan juniors, sophomores and first-years, regardless of major, and may be undertaken at Wesleyan or anywhere in the world. Full summer research fellows will receive a total of $5250. Partial summer & fall or spring fellowships, also available. Deadline for all, for 2026: February 25, Need more info? Email lkenney01@wesleyan.edu.

goh ’24: from wesleyan to washington

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Debbra Goh ‘24 (ENVS/RELI) recently completed a year-long James C. Gaither Junior Fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in Washington, DC. She is currently a research assistant for the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program there.

What research did you work on as part of the Gaither Junior Fellows program?
I finished my tenure as a junior fellow in summer 2025, but I continue to work as a Research Assistant in the Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. I contribute to a range of research initiatives spanning the program’s core focus. My work spans four main areas: the geopolitics of clean energy technology, climate mobility, climate activism, and climate adaptation.

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how to land a green gig: wes students share their stories

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Earlier this semester, the Student Sustainability Internship Advice Panel in Boger Hall brought together students passionate about the planet…and about landing internship and fellowship opportunities that help protect it! Hosted by the Sustainability Office and the Gordon Career Center and moderated by B Frankenstein ’25 and Natalie Sweet ’25, the event featured three insightful panelists: Isadora Leviton ’25, Emma Hotchkiss ’25, and Jonah Yas ’25, who shared their unique paths to landing sustainability- and enviro-focused summer internships!

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Spinning the Wheel of Change: the Global Language of enviro justice

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During this year’s Power of Language Week, Usdan was buzzing with conversation—not just about syntax or semantics, but about environmental justice.

As part of Wesleyan’s Student Sustainability Plan (SSP), a team of SSP interns hosted an interactive tabling event titled The Global Language of Environmental Justice. The goal? To spark dialogue about how environmental justice is understood and experienced around the world—and help students see how deeply language and justice are intertwined. We recently spoke with SSP intern Aishlinn Parrinello ’27 (ENVS/PSYC) about this year’s event!

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