This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hollins chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
What are you studying right now? I’m majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in French.
What extracurricular are you involved with on campus? I’m Recycling Coordinator for the Hollins campus, Co-chair of Students for Environmental Action (S.E.A.), and member of Global Interest Association (G.I.A.)
What academic experiences have shaped your view on environmental activism? Studying abroad in East Africa, a region of the world greatly stressed by environmental degradation, opened my eyes to the excess, waste, and non-sustainable practices that go on at Hollins. And in my senior seminar, with Professor Godard, we read the autobiography of Wangari Maathai. Maathai’s life was dedicated to environmental activism, starting with small issues deemed too trivial for wide notice, yet she started the greatest environmental movement in Africa.
Tell us a little bit about the political activism you’re involved with on campus. S.E.A. started a petition and we’ll also be hosting a speaker to talk to students about the issue of mountaintop removal and its economic, environmental, and health impacts on our community.
You recently started a petition that the majority of Hollins students signed. What was it for? S.E.A. wrote a petition for the reduction of water waste on campus, from the current sprinkler system. In just three days, the petition had already won the support of more than half the student body, with 433 signatures. We submitted it to President Gray, the Physical Plant (the campus entity that oversees the sprinklers), and the Environmental Advisory Board (E.A.B.).
Would you rather survive a zombie apocalypse or the end of the world a la The Day After Tomorrow? I’d rather survive the end of the world a la The Day After Tomorrow, because I’m grossed out by corpses and could escape most of the ice by moving to the Equator!
Who is your biggest political activist crush? Bobby Kennedy, Jr! He’s not afraid to get arrested for an important cause!