About & Worldview

My worldview originated from meaningful experiences in familiar spaces with my family. It began relatively narrow in that it focused only on myself and my fondness for the natural world. My worldview has since been complicated significantly as a result of my experiences as a college student. Dickinson College introduced me to the three pillars of sustainability — social, economic, and environmental — and their relationships with each other, which have informed the transformation of my worldview. It has inspired my worldview to be an intersectional and passionate approach to understanding, navigating, and impacting the world. The development of my worldview thus far encourages me to use my experiences, knowledge, and agency to continue to learn about the pressing, often interconnected, issues of our time and dedicate my future to creating a more ‘sustainable’ world.

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My curiosity, love of spending time with family, and passion for the environment first carved my worldview. I was lucky enough to have special moments outdoors since I was young, such as picking raspberries in my grandmother’s backyard, spending time on Candlewood Lake in my hometown, or hiking through forested mountains with my parents and brother. These experiences fostered the reverence I have for my loved ones and the responsibility I felt to care for them and the environment that has given me so much joy. Taking A.P. Environmental Science during high school made it clear that I was drawn to being a steward for the environment, and discussions in and out of the classroom about the upcoming Presidential election enabled me to be more involved in contemporary political and social issues. My worldview was still relatively limited, but it was beginning to expand beyond the confines of my hometown.

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As a student at Dickinson, I was able to apply my interests in politics and the environment in a more analytical and experiential atmosphere. I have pursued my love for the environment as an Environmental Studies major and gained a greater understanding of politics and social issues as a Political Science minor. Through taking courses — like Environmental & Social Justice, Race, Ethnicity, & U.S. Politics, and Gender & Justice — in multiple disciplines, it became clear that a sustainable world did not involve solely high environmental quality; a sustainable world is one that integrates equity and empathy into its systems, institutions, and actions. My coursework, extracurricular activities, and research at Dickinson brought new perspectives to my understanding of people’s diverse lived experiences. I became more familiar with the injustices experienced by both the physical earth and its human inhabitants. These issues hit close to home when in Spring 2017, I did a research project on the disproportionate effects of industrial air pollution where I grew up on populations with higher concentrations of people of color and people with lower incomes. I was motivated to leverage my knowledge and skills, combined with those of others, to work towards solutions to similar complex problems. My desire to affect change gained a more global perspective during my semester studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. I learned how cultural homogeneity, trust in the government, and a high standard of living came together to inform sustainable practices in Danish society. The following summer, my Fellowship at Sustainable CT solidified my interests in combining policy, environmentalism, and social change as I worked closely with local governments to implement tangible actions to better their communities. I learned firsthand the value of organizing on small scales in intentional and inclusive ways. 

 

Upon connecting the grounding elements of my childhood life — family and the earth — to the pivotal and eye-opening educational and career experiences I have had over the past four years, I see that my worldview has progressed from a more limited, ecological focus to a more holistic, action-oriented understanding of sustainability. My worldview guides my decisions, and I seek a future in which I can continue learning about and impacting environmental problems through an intersectional lens. Looking forward, I hope to combine my interests in social change, policy, and the environment as an engaged citizen and lifelong learner in both the professional and personal spheres of my future.