Story of Self
I am a sophomore studying Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, and I live in Pfoho. Outside of the Environmental Action Committee, I am a FOP leader, the Secretary for HoCo, Assistant Director for First-Year Intramurals, a course assistant, and involved with photography through the Yearbook Publications and the Photography Club.
I have been involved with EAC since the fall of my first year at Harvard. I joined during a transitional year, after most of the leadership team had graduated, and EAC failed to recruit many students. I stayed involved through the fall, finding excitement and pride in the environmental education lessons I planned and taught at multiple after school programs. The summer before, I had worked at a non-profit farm in an education program, and I found continuity in that work and my interests in EAC. EAC meetings became an important part of my week and routine, and I loved the night walk back through the quiet yard from PBHA to my dorm in Weld. The rest of the year brought Veguary and our annual Earth Day Festival, and I grew to love the organization and work we were doing.
At the end of last year, the EAC Chair at the time announced that they were not going to return to the position in the fall, but encouraged me and the one other person that was active to keep the organization going. I did not feel ready to take on the role myself, and seeing how much work the Chair had put into it that year without being able to retain members, I didn't think I had the time to commit to the role. I went into the summer thinking that EAC was over, and I would have to find another environmental organization to join.
This past fall, a couple weeks into school my sister told me she heard that EAC was up and running again. I had no idea. A member who had been active in the fall of 2019, but not the spring, spent part of the summer working with a friend to rethink and revamp EAC. At the first meeting of the year, I joined the new Co-Chairs and a bunch of first-years back in the Shepard Room at PBHA. I spent the next weeks catching up with the Co-Chairs, Candice and Noah pictured with me at the top of the page, and working to rebrand EAC and retain our new members. I have definitely put more time into this organization than I anticipated, prioritizing it over class work and other commitments often, but it has been time well spent.
