Fellows List

All Fellows

List by Cohort:

Thea Louis

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Thea Louis is a M.S. candidate in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. Louis concentrates on Environmental Justice with a particular focus on the equity implications of climate change risk factors and how public policy can address those impacts. Louis received her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Public Health from Wellesley College in 2020. She enjoys playing with her dog in her free time.

Foundation Sponsor: 
William Penn Foundation
Host Organization: 
William Penn Foundation

Austin Martin

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Austin Martin is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University where he focuses on the political ecology of bees in cities and green gentrification. He has an M.S. in Conservation Ecology and Environmental Justice from the University of Michigan where he researched native bees in Detroit and has worked as a state apiary inspector for the state of Pennsylvania.

Foundation Sponsor: 
The JPB Foundation
Host Organization: 
Groundwork USA

Kamerhon Moses

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Kamerhon is a second-year graduate student pursuing a dual degree (M.S./M.S.E) within the SEAS and Mechanical Engineering Departments. After undergrad, he wanted to dedicate his education to advancing the progress in international development and emergency management through the integration of clean energy systems. He chose the Sustainable Energy Systems track at the University of Michigan to further educate himself on both the techno-economic and cultural dynamics of current interventions in underrepresented communities.

Host Organization: 
Environmental Defense Fund

Ivy Ortiz

Fellowship Year: 
2021

I am a first-generation scholar, pursuing an Environmental Justice Masters degree from SEAS, and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager of the University of Michigan Campus Farm. Denver, Colorado is my familiar home, as someone whose ancestors have struggled for generations against the systems of colonial normativities that are reproduced within America. This is the lens that I bring to my career and studies within food justice, Indigenous sovereignty, and geospatial studies.

Foundation Sponsor: 
William Penn Foundation
Host Organization: 
William Penn Foundation

Kayla Patel

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Kayla is pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. She received her Bachelor’s of Science with an Ecology, Behavior and Evolution major at University of California, Los Angeles. Her interests include environmental health, climate justice, and sustainable water systems.

Foundation Sponsor: 
Island Foundation
Host Organization: 
New England Grassroots Fund

Melisa Perut

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Melisa is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Irvine. Her interdisciplinary research deals with human systems, global political economy, global governance, and the global environment. She received her M.Sc. in Geography from King’s College London in 2015, and her thesis focused on environmental justice and social movements. She received her B.Sc. in Global and International Affairs from the Middle East Technical University and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Host Organization: 
Chicago Frontline Communities

Liz Plascencia

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Liz Plascencia is a Master of Environmental Management candidate at Yale School of the Environment, specializing in Water Resource Science and Management. Before Yale, Liz worked across the Pacific (Hawai’i, Tonga, and Fiji) on coastal stewardship, climate adaptation, and plastic pollution mitigation. As a Queer, First-Generation Mexican American, Liz aspires to integrate environmental justice throughout coastal management and climate resiliency projects. Liz is from Los Angeles, California and earned her B.S in Geological Earth Sciences from Dickinson College as a Posse Scholar.

Host Organization: 
Restoring America's Estuaries

Sanchez Rolle

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Growing up on the island of Exuma in The Bahamas, Sanchez has always enjoyed the outdoors. He is a 2018 graduate of the historic Tuskegee University where he obtained one degree in Biology and another in Food and Nutritional Sciences. As a current PhD student, he is focused on serving underserved communities in regards to environmental public health challenges. Sanchez enjoys taking road trips and during his free time, discovering new places to visit.

Foundation Sponsor: 
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Host Organization: 
Fresh Water Future

Sara Saucedo

Fellowship Year: 
2021
Sara Saucedo attended Arkansas State University from 2017-2021 where she completed her Bachelor’s in Nutritional Science, Dietetics and her Master’s in Environmental Science, Public Policy and Economics. While at Arkansas State, Sara created the first ever Environmental Club, served as Student Government Association Cultural Diversity Director and Graduate Senator, Vice President of the Graduate Student Council, Residence Life Community Assistant, the first Sustainability Coordinator for A-State’s Dining Services, and much
more. Sara has an unwavering passion for social justice, environmental preservation, public service, community building, and educating others.
Foundation Sponsor: 
Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation
Host Organization: 
Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation

Antoinette Shirley

Fellowship Year: 
2021

Antoinette Shirley is a graduate student at Michigan State University (MSU) working towards a PhD in Forestry. She is of Mexican, Native and White descent. She is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and has worked with the tribe on various research projects related to culturally important animal species. She is a graduate research assistant for the Native American Institute and the Administrative Coordinator for the Indigenous Graduate Student Collective at MSU.

Foundation Sponsor: 
Vervane
Host Organization: 
Environmental Grantmakers Association