February 22, 2021
On Friday, February 26, from 4-5PM EST, join us for a panel about careers and graduate education in Environmental Justice with three recent EVST alum.
Tien Tran (BS EVST ‘19, she/her/hers), Associate Governmental Program Analyst, California State Water Resources Control Board
Tien grew up in a big Vietnamese American household in Van Nuys, California. At Yale, she studied environmental issues specific to California, such as the history of farm labor organizing and climate change related health impacts on homeless residents in Los Angeles. Two summers ago, Tien completed the Greenlining Institute Summer Associate Program and learned about racial equity and policy advocacy across sectors, with a focus on energy. Part of the Senate Fellows Program 2019-2020, she led state housing and environmental policy in Senator Durazo’s office. Now Tien is an Associate Governmental Program Analyst at California State Water Resources Control Board, serving two board members. She loves storytelling, green tea, and frogs.
Lekha Tlhotlhalemaje (BA EVST & History ‘19, she/her/hers) Master’s Student, University of British Columbia
Lekha grew up Johannesburg, South Africa. At Yale, she concentrated in environmental justice, and specifically on land reform in South Africa. She wrote her thesis on farm dwellers in uMgungundlovu who live and, often, work on white-owned land, but have little autonomy over the land or access to basic services. She also majored in history and was part of the Multidisciplinary Academic Program in Human Rights. After graduating, she worked as a Woodbridge Fellow at the Yale Office of International Affairs, focusing on Africa. Currently, she is an MA student at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability. She is considering writing her Master’s Thesis on climate migration within Southern Africa. She is passionate about watching movies and reading fiction, and is a fledgeling kombucha-brewer.
Selah Bell (BA EVST ‘20, he/him/his), Research Associate, Environmental Law Institute
Selah grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. At Yale he concentrated in environmental policy and law, writing a thesis that analyzed the politics of risk, catastrophe, and the regulatory history of coal combustion wastes. He also co-founded a student-led group called the Yale Environmental Education Collaborative, conducting place-based environmental lessons in local New Haven schools. His previous two summers were spent coordinating Corporate Social Responsibility programming as an intern with Cox Enterprises in Atlanta. Last summer he joined the Environmental Law Institute as a Research Associate. Some of his current work involves program development for Environmental Justice educational webinars as well as research support and writing duties for the re-implementation of ELI’s Blight Revitalization Initiative for Green, Healthy Towns (BRIGHT) program. He’s obsessed with reading fiction, playing and watching basketball, watching anime, and very gradually becoming a plant dad.
We will be talking about navigating careers and graduate studies in environmental justice and ways to build meaningful relationships with place and people. There will be time for Q&A after the event. Come with questions for our wonderful speakers!
Click here for the Zoom link for Friday’s event.