Extended Biography
I grew up on what was the leading edge of Ann Arbor’s 1,4-dioxane plume, a “likely carcinogen,” that is seeping through the city’s westside groundwater aquifer to this day. Leaky disposal lagoons at the Gelman Sciences plant on Wagner Road contaminated our groundwater. We were not allowed to drink our tap water, use it to brush our teeth, or bathe more than once a week, until we were finally annexed onto city water. Along with chemist parents and frequent camping trips, I was aware of environmental issues, such as water contamination, but they felt like a normal part of life.
As I grew up, I became aware of similar environmental issues affecting other communities across the country and around the word. As an undergraduate at Beloit College, I studied abroad with the Center for Global Education based out of Augsburg College, traveling through Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. I bore firsthand witness to the scars and fresh wounds of these post conflict countries, the consequences of globalization, and the effects of US immigration policy. In Nicaragua, I was particularly struck by a tent city located across from the national palace—workers poisoned by the pesticide Nemagon were living there in protest until they received the compensation they deserved for their cancers, infertility, and deaths. Traveling, I saw poverty, extreme wealth, blood, and human resilience. While in Central America my classmates and I would often ask, “How can we help?” and the answer was always, “Go home. Educate your peers. Influence policy.” This experience led me to commit myself to work for peace and justice.
After working in labor and immigration issues, I slowly came to recognize that environmental justice is intimately connected to these and other struggles. Many of the workers I encountered were concerned about exposure to chemicals or their environmental impact, but national rhetoric often forces workers to choose between environmental degradation and jobs. I chose to complete a Master of Arts in Peace Education because, as a community organizer and political activist, I know that education is one of the most important tools society has for realizing a brighter future. I believe in simple and collaborative educational pedagogy and value empathy in negotiation and policy. I studied peace education for its holistic approach, including the emphasis on environmental education and the right to live in a healthy environment.
Today, more than ever, I am convinced that environmental justice is a fundamental part of peace. I do not have to look further than my childhood home. What was once a normal, almost mundane, part of life has become one example of a global issue.
As I grew up, I became aware of similar environmental issues affecting other communities across the country and around the word. As an undergraduate at Beloit College, I studied abroad with the Center for Global Education based out of Augsburg College, traveling through Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. I bore firsthand witness to the scars and fresh wounds of these post conflict countries, the consequences of globalization, and the effects of US immigration policy. In Nicaragua, I was particularly struck by a tent city located across from the national palace—workers poisoned by the pesticide Nemagon were living there in protest until they received the compensation they deserved for their cancers, infertility, and deaths. Traveling, I saw poverty, extreme wealth, blood, and human resilience. While in Central America my classmates and I would often ask, “How can we help?” and the answer was always, “Go home. Educate your peers. Influence policy.” This experience led me to commit myself to work for peace and justice.
After working in labor and immigration issues, I slowly came to recognize that environmental justice is intimately connected to these and other struggles. Many of the workers I encountered were concerned about exposure to chemicals or their environmental impact, but national rhetoric often forces workers to choose between environmental degradation and jobs. I chose to complete a Master of Arts in Peace Education because, as a community organizer and political activist, I know that education is one of the most important tools society has for realizing a brighter future. I believe in simple and collaborative educational pedagogy and value empathy in negotiation and policy. I studied peace education for its holistic approach, including the emphasis on environmental education and the right to live in a healthy environment.
Today, more than ever, I am convinced that environmental justice is a fundamental part of peace. I do not have to look further than my childhood home. What was once a normal, almost mundane, part of life has become one example of a global issue.
