alumni – coexist

kirana ’21 uses data to tell climate stories

by kwu01

Yuke Kirana ‘21 received her BA from Wesleyan in environmental studies and earth & environmental sciences. She is currently working as a data analyst at the Systems Change Lab at World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research nonprofit partnering with the Bezos Earth Funds and funded by the GEF Foundation, focusing on seven key areas relating to natural resources: food, forests, water, energy, cities, climate, and ocean.

Yuke’s interest in environmental studies began in high school, when she worked on a plastic waste reduction project as a student in Jakarta, Indonesia. “That project exposed me to the complexity of environmental issues,” says Yuke. “And it piqued my interest to learn more about the complex system that influences and shapes environmental initiatives.”

colson-fearon ’22 co-authors paper based on coe fellowship

by acmorris

Brionna Colson-Fearon ‘22, is currently at Fordham University pursuing her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. H. Shellae Versey. Their co-authored paper, Urban Agriculture as a Means to Food Sovereignty? A Case Study of Baltimore City Residents, explores the role of alternative food networks and urban agriculture in food sovereignty and security, and highlights the community benefits of urban agriculture within marginalized communities. A psychology and biology major while at Wesleyan, Brionna was awarded a COE Summer Research Fellowship in 2021, which allowed her to explore urban farming in Baltimore. An experience that became the basis for the co-authored paper.

pinkus ’21 supports volunteerism at us forest service

by Laurie Kenney

Andrei Pinkus ‘21 is a communications and data support resource assistant at the US Forest Service. During his time at Wesleyan, Andrei was a recipient of a 2020 COE Summer Research Fellowship. He graduated with a BA in government and environmental studies.

Why did you choose to be an environmental studies (ENVS) linked major here at Wes?
I’ve always had a passion for environmental issues. Even as a kid I was aware of the negative ways humans influence the environment; I made a habit of turning off lights, taking shorter showers, and never wasting food. So, in that way, I suppose I’ve always been environmentally conscious. Only at Wesleyan, through my ENVS classes, did I realize just how intersectional (and important) the field was. The environment is everything, and without it we have nothing. Although it sometimes feels like an impossible quest, I want to dedicate my career to doing whatever is possible to make the world at least just a little better than when I came into it. That’s why I chose to be an ENVS major.

lopez-anido ‘21 investigates biology of marine invertebrates

by Laurie Kenney

Rebecca Lopez-Anido ‘21 is a laboratory research assistant at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. During her time at Wesleyan, Rebecca was a research assistant in the Chernoff Lab and a recipient of a 2020 COE Summer Research Fellowship. She graduated with a BA in biology and environmental studies.

eco designer lindsay ’05 finds her happy place

by stousi

Rachel Lindsay ‘05 is an ecological designer, artist, and local food advocate. She is a worker-owner at Regenerative Design Group, a small firm based in Western Massachusetts. Rachel holds an MS in ecological design from The Conway School and a BA in anthropology from Wesleyan. As a Wes student, she was one of the founders of Long Lane Farm!

o’donnell ’19 takes action at climate museum

by stousi

Maggie O’Donnell ’19 is the research and program associate at The Climate Museum in New York City, where she coordinates new aspects of the Museum’s online presence including the Online High School Internship Program and the Climate Ambassador Card. Maggie was a religion and environmental studies major and art history minor at Wesleyan and a member of our 2018-19 COE Think Tank.

vogel ’11 shares career path with wes students

by stousi

The Careers in Sustainability panel, hosted by the Gordon Career Center, the College of the Environment, and the Sustainability Office on October 4, 2019, included Nora Vogel ’11, director of communications for Coalition for Green Capital. The College of the Environment graduated its first cohort of environmental studies majors in 2010. Below, an interview with Vogel ’11, one of the first students to ever major in environmental studies at Wesleyan.

Did you come to Wesleyan knowing you wanted to study Environmental Studies? What led you to the COE?
Nora Vogel (NV): I knew I was interested in science and the environment, and I was thinking about doing biology. I actually worked in Professor Sonia Sultan’s lab, which was an amazing experience. At the same time, it felt hard to stick to research science as a career path, when I felt that many decision-makers in the world aren’t listening to the perfectly good science that we already have. That’s what got me interested in communications and in the Science in Society Program (SISP). I wondered what makes people make decisions about things, and what makes them trust one source and not another one. I took a Media in Society class that dovetailed really well with that, along with some sociology classes. I took a philosophy class with Professor Joseph Rouse about objectivity that I loved; we went deep down the rabbit hole of whether objective truth really exists. I still think about it all the time. The great thing about SISP was that it gave me a way to fit those things together, and it ended up being directly relevant to the career path I ended up on.