Hello Everyone !
I’m very excited to be interning at the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations. As an intern for the UU@UN I’m learning how to work within an NGO to raise awareness on human rights and to advocate for ways in which civil society can influence international politics. I’m a senior at the State University of New York at New Paltz, with a double major in International Relations and Asian Studies. I’m particularly interested in human rights implementation mechanisms in South-East Asia and their intersection with climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
My fascination for human rights and environmental science comes from my close relationship with freshwater ecosystems in my hometown. Growing up in the Finger Lakes region, I knew that a lake monster dwelled deep within the salt caves of Seneca and Cayuga. It is probably left from the Devonian period, which saw an explosion in fish species and the first terrestrial amphibians. Whatever lake monster oracle the quiet waters of these lakes sit on, there is one perplexing concern I have for the future of these lakes and the biodiversity they hold. Blue-green algae blooms spreading toxic cyanobacteria form a murky green film on the surface of lakes and block out any existing sunlight, depleting oxygen content and killing the aquatic species in response.
Knowing that everything is interconnected, from the salamanders in the creek beds to the pollutants involved in industrial farming practices, I soon discovered that using my voice to advocate was one of the only means by which I could express my concern. Within my hometown, I helped found the Global Humanism Club, a club built to locally address the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Through the club, I got to conduct a personal research project on the chemical contents of waterways throughout Cayuga Lake.
I intend to use my position as a Climate Justice Intern to further my understanding of NGO advocacy strategies and how NGOs network with state actors and other NGOs in order to prepare me for a career path in climate research and NGO advocacy.
We're proud to introduce all of our 2020-2021 academic interns: