The summer after my Junior year, I studied abroad in Denmark and was given the opportunity to create my own research topic. My interest in Sustainability has always revolved around food, so I started thinking about ways that I could incorporate this interest with the geographical backdrop of Århus, Denmark. Food is a medium for so many uniquely human creations: celebrations, art, connection, and taste. Food is also a big driver of climate change, as the meat and agriculture industries account for more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions. However, I wanted to research more than food. I wanted to incorporate balance; a balance of local and global food systems, a balance of individual and community relationships, and a balance of science and art. I wanted to show how food is a driving force in achieving global sustainability and resilience.
After much contemplation, I began researching the connections between local food and community wellbeing in the city. I interviewed farm-to-table chefs, local farmers, farmer’s market vendors, street food vendors, and consumers on their relationships with food. The topic itself was flexible and open-ended enough so that each interviewee could relate it to their lives in a unique way. I loved the research so much that I decided to continue interviewing stakeholders in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Through the continuation of my research in Arizona, I was able to include a comparative element that offered a better perspective on the matter. I found that the history of the country itself has a significant influence on people’s mindsets and actions surrounding food and the environment. The common theme I heard from all interviewees, however, was their confidence in the power of food to unite people to one another and to the natural world.
I chose to create this illustrated book because my research experience was a whole and inseparable experience; it could never be fully expressed in words. I wanted my project to be an intellectual and visual map of my journey, inspiring the reader to go on a journey of their own. Therefore, I partnered with an undergraduate art student at Arizona State University, Sofia Reyes, to help create my vision. I shared my experiences, photos, and stories with her so that she could create the beautiful watercolor paintings that make the book so visually appealing and accessible to all demographics. The images act as a way of engaging all of our human senses, initiating a stronger connection to the material presented.
Creating this project was my favorite experience as an undergraduate, and I feel fortunate to be able to tell the stories of those intimately tied to the local food system. I am in the process of entering my book in various competitions including Writer’s Digest, Reader’s Favorites, The Food Sustainability Media Award, and The Indie Book Awards. I am also going on to publish the book through a small publishing company.
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Pluvial Flood Risk Modeling, Assessment, and Management under Evolving Urban Climates and Land Cover
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In the face of deep disconnection and chaotic crises throughout our planet, I have identified five invitations for foundational actions and ways of living, that can lead to us deepening our connection with ourselves and with the Earth in individualized ways, while cultivating harmony on our shared world. These are; to listen, to express, to envision, to reciprocate, and to dance. An open mind and heart will make them most effective.
Individual happiness is not always correlated with societal happiness. Intrinsic happiness usually stems from sources such as authenticity, self-fulfillment, and community involvement. In contrast, extrinsic happiness comes from career success, wealth status, and popularity. The difference in these sources of happiness can create an unrealistic search for happiness in society. Individuals are chasing happiness in ways that are not obtainable or fulfilling for their individual needs. Because of this, there is an excessive amount of materialism and consumerism in society as an attempt to find or replace intrinsic happiness. Thus, I propose that if humans could learn to gather happiness intrinsically, the outcome may be a society that balances maintainable happiness and a more sustainable way of living. This hypothesis is tested by interviewing four individuals about what makes them intrinsically happy versus what they believe society says happiness comes from. Open-ended semi-structured interview questions were created by drawing on happiness literature and personal experience. Participants discussed how a focus on intrinsic happiness could affect society as a whole. The results indicate that humans naturally lean toward human connection and community involvement. Both are values with inherently positive sustainability implications and correspond to a sustainable way of life. The challenge, however, is the societal values placed on extrinsic aspects of happiness and the push away from sustainability.
For the past six months, I have been working with Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro on the Tempe’s People’s Budget coalition. I served as a member on the research team as well as a temporary member of the Black Lives Matter’s nucleus leadership team. I joined weekly meetings for both groups, and conducted research on city budget proposals, initiatives, and resources. I also lead discussions and conversations about progress, next steps, and goals of the coalition with over 50 volunteers within the coalition. The Tempe’s People Budget crafted a survey in late October and sent it out mid-November to members of the Tempe community, asking them what community resources they would use and which resources and investments they believed the city of Tempe should commit to. After five months of survey collection, we presented a preliminary budget proposal to Tempe’s financial office for consideration for the 2022-2023 budget, using data from 318 survey responses. With the creation of the survey among the adaption of the Tempe’s coalition, we wanted to look at what preventive community resource most respondents wanted Tempe to reinvest in. We found that the majority of survey respondents would like investments in renewable energy, housing stability, and alternatives to police. It is the city’s job to protect and serve all members of their communities, and public safety should be prioritized by investing in preventive measures instead of remedial punishments. Public safety concerns would be most effectively resolved by addressing issues such as: little to no income, housing instability, lack of access to food and water and other basic necessities to survive. Currently, Tempe is investing in the police, who most often only serve punishments.