Welcome to my Individualized Study Plan (ISP)! 

 

I initially found out about CEP when I realized that I wanted to center my work in the field of environmentalism around urban planning, rather than internationally policy, as I felt that I would be able to have a more meaningful impact on a smaller scale. After taking CEP 200 Winter Quarter of my freshman year, I came to realize that CEP had the potential to offer me much more than just the academic content I was interested in, but also important soft skills, control over my own education, and a community. I knew that I wanted CEP to be how I culminated my time at UW, so I spent my first two years working hard to complete my Environmental Studies degree, to give me my last two years to be able to fully take advantage of the educational freedom CEP offers students.

 

My focus within my studies is promoting environmental justice in built environments & urban communities through community empowerment and helping support grassroots movements to enact equitable changes in their neighborhoods. I have gained meaningful experience working with community organizations during my impromptu gap year in 2020-2021 and will be synthesizing some of my skills during my Environmental Studies capstone, where I continued to do environmental justice and anti-gentrification-oriented work with Lake City Collective. I supported their group in creating an Environmental Justice Action Plan and will be researching how communities can increase access to green space without causing environmental gentrification.

 

I am also interested in the power of environmental education to help people develop more meaningful relationships to their local natural environments. In my 3rd & 4th years I have been fortunate enough to take several classes related to Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and Coast Salish ethnobotany. This inspired me to pursue a senior project in CEP that was more focused on the importance of teaching Seattle residents about Coast Salish ethnobotany. This has been a meaningful experience where I not only learned about the impacts of learning about Indigenous ecological knowledge, but also what it means to work with Indigenous communities meaningfully and with respect.

 

Overall, I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore my academic interests in such a supportive and encouraging learning environment. CEP, unlike other academic spaces on campuses, encourages individuals to find their own strengths and passions whilst collaborating with others to work towards mutual goals of creating more equitable, healthier, and stronger communities. Read more about the specific classes I took in my Individualized Study Plan!