My passion for sustainable development was influenced by my father. As a garbage truck driver, he would take me to the San Diego Waste landfill and show me the negative impact waste has on the environment. Despite his broken English, third grade education and limited understanding of sustainability, this experience motivated me to continue my education and become an advocate for sustainable changes in my community. Growing up in Southeast San Diego also helped solidify my interest in sustainability, particularly in advocating for environmental and social justice within my community. I have witnessed the lack of access to affordable environmentally friendly resources due to language, education, and socioeconomic barriers. These obstacles restrict …show more content…
I am involved with organizations on campus, such as the Associated Students Green Love Sustainability Commission. As the Green love Designee for the Associated Student Union Board, I build and develop strategic plans, execute policies and establish environmental expectations for the campus. By bringing my culture, language and diversity into my duties, I am also able to ensure that our student-related activities are reaching the Latino and commuter population on campus. Complementing Green Love, I am also the Student-At-Large Representative for the University Senate Sustainability Committee, where I represent students on matters related to their safety, health, and learning conditions. Lastly, this semester I am taking on an internship with the San Diego County Water Authority and a leadership role within our SDSU Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) student group. Due to financial limitations, I have not been able to join AEP. However, receiving this scholarship grant me access to an array of networking opportunities with hundreds professionals in my …show more content…
This year long project was done through a partnership with SDSU PowerSave Campus, a student-led energy efficiency program and Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI), a 3rd -12th grade after-school program for prospective first-generation college students. This initiative included hands-on activities that educated students on energy usage, sustainable practices and career opportunities within the environmental field. For example, students were taught how to build mini-solar cookers and learned how much energy it takes to cook food, specifically s’mores. As a BLCI alumni and the Senior Team Manager for PowerSave, this project reinforced my vision to help communities and encouraged sustainability despite