AREAS OF FOCUS
ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE
Graduate Degree Bound in Climate Studies
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
4+ Years in Environmental Education
GRASSROOTS MOBILIZATION
2+ Years in Local Advocacy and Policy
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
MIAMI, FLORIDA
June 2020 - Present
PROGRAM COORDINATOR,
THE CLEO INSTITUTE
Developing, managing, and facilitating various climate change education and empowerment programs for students across Florida, including CLEO’s Climate Resilient Schools Program, Climate Leadership Information Program, GenCLEO Youth Empowerment Program, and Climate Action Lab
January 2020 - Present
CO-HOST,
HOUSE ON FIRE PODCAST
Co-hosting House on Fire, a youth-led podcast powered by The CLEO Institute, that educates listeners about various intersections of the climate crisis through impactful conversations with leading voices
June 2019 - June 2020
PROGRAM INTERN,
THE CLEO INSTITUTE
Helped create, develop, manage, and facilitate two climate change education and empowerment programs, Climate Resilient Schools and the Climate Leadership Information Program, to increase climate literacy in local high schools by working with students and teachers
June 2017 - August 2017
EDUCATOR,
ZOO MIAMI FOUNDATION
Educated Zoo Miami camp classrooms in basic-level science with quick lesson plans and interactive activities, covering concepts in earth science, environmental science, and wildlife endangerment and conservation
CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE:
THE CLEO INSTITUTE
For nearly two years, I have been working under The CLEO Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to climate change education and advocacy in Florida. I began working with CLEO because I recognized a lack of proper education about climate change for Miami's youth and wanted to do something about that.
In the June of 2019, I joined the team as a paid intern to help create, develop, and facilitate CLEO’s Climate Resilient Schools program. The goal of this program is to increase climate change literacy in the students of Miami-Dade County, and now, beyond. Our team does this through various opportunities for teachers and students to learn and take action, including a Teachers Network, Climate Presentations, and the Climate Leadership Information Program. In my internship, I worked one-on-one with students, teachers, and schools in Miami to give them the information and skills they needed to increase awareness about the climate crisis in their schools and push their communities to take action.
As an intern at The CLEO Institute, I was able to begin a professional career in climate change education and advocacy. I gained skills in community outreach, communicating science, creating educational material, coordinating events, upholding partnerships, increasing civic engagement, running social media, and much more.
In the June of 2020, I was promoted to a Program Coordinator, where I continue to develop and facilitate the Climate Resilient Schools program and other programs that CLEO offers to the youth, including the GenCLEO Youth Empowerment Program and the Climate Action Lab.
Working at The CLEO Institute has greatly enhanced my professional and personal growth, solidified my aspirations and goals, and connected me to a network of leaders. Because of this internship and job, I now know that I want to pursue a career in tackling the climate crisis by pushing for climate action through education, advocacy, and policymaking. Most important, working with this incredible team has allowed me to do what I most care about: teach and empower others around environmental issues and climate change.
ADVOCACY:
CLIMATE JUSTICE
While working with The CLEO Institute, I began to understand the importance of civic engagement for climate justice. I have become a local activist for climate action, environmental protection, and social justice. Today, I work with two advocacy groups in Miami, Florida: The CLEO Institute’s GenCLEO Youth Empowerment Program and the Sunrise Movement. Both of these groups call upon governments to support a just transition into the use of renewable energies to avoid climate catastrophe.
In the November of 2019, I traveled with a few other student activists to an advocacy training in Boston, Massachusetts to learn about how we mobilize our communities and push our local governments to commit to bold climate action. We learned about the implementation of a Climate Emergency Declaration, a framework of legislation that would have cities recognize the climate crisis and commit to bold emission cuts.
I have spoken at various government meetings to demand that they protect our futures and enact bold climate legislation, including the City of Miami and City of Miami Beach. In a meeting with the City of Miami, my colleagues and I successfully pushed the city to pass a Climate Emergency Declaration. Read about it here! In addition, I met with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who was a commissioner at the time, to discuss a county-wide Climate Emergency Declaration.
Getting involved in advocacy has allowed me to explore many interests and skills I did not tap into before. They include public speaking in front of elected officials, participating in actions and strikes, mobilizing those around me to take action, helping with the creation of political campaigns, and learning about policymaking and local government. Most importantly, activism has proven to me how effective it is for us to use our voices for the issues we care about. As a result, I see advocacy as a large part of my future.
PODCAST:
HOUSE ON FIRE
In the January of 2020, I helped create and began co-hosting a youth-led podcast about climate change called “House on Fire”. Powered by The CLEO Institute, our show educates listeners about various intersections of the climate crisis through impactful conversations with leading voices in the movement. Some past guests include Varshini Prakash, Bill Weir, Jamie Margolin, John Morales, Saad Amer, and more.
I help with developing the goals and content of the show, researching topics, outlining episodes, coordinating guests, producing content, running social media (@houseonfirepodcast, @houseonfirepod), and promoting episodes. This project has allowed me to have conversations with incredible figures, provide a platform to those who are often ignored, practice my public speaking and communications skills, and explore new avenues of environmental and climate work.
House on Fire can be listened to below or on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts!
