SUPPORT OUTSTANDING STUDENTS
Are you a student interested in applying to these opportunities?
Learn more on our Student Opportunities page.
FIELD FELLOWSHIP FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
This program provides financial support and professional connections for students to work with environmental justice organizations and other civic leaders to advance goals for more livable and prosperous places.
Current and recent community partners:
- Better World Group
- Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice
- Communities for a Better Environment
- East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice
- The Greenlining Institute
- Pacoima Beautiful
- The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice
- Physicians for Social Responsibility-LA
- Sierra Club
If your organization advances environmental justice and is interested in hosting a fellow/intern, contact Colleen Callahan, co-executive director, at ccallahan@luskin.ucla.edu for more details about the criteria and expectations.
Anastasia Vanderpool
Anastasia Vanderpool is a fellow for Communities for a Better Environment where she is analyzing hazardous waste plans and policies to protect the communities of Southeast LA. Her work is informed by the environmental justice issues her community in the Antelope Valley faces. Anastasia is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in public affairs and geography and minoring in environmental systems and society.
Carl de Joya
As a fellow for Community Water Center, Carl de Joya helped advance drinking water policy and uplift community-driven solutions in the San Joaquin Valley, a critical agricultural hub for the nation but an area where many residents to not have reliable access to clean drinking water. Carl also analyzed regenerative agriculture strategies as part of a campaign to advance climate-smart agricultural policies. Carl is pursuing a master’s degree in urban and regional planning to better advocate for disadvantaged communities and the specific harms they face as a result of climate change.
Carley Towne
Carley Towne worked with Physicians for Social Responsibility to support their Environmental Justice Communities Against Plastic coalition. In this role, Carley contributed to the coalition’s campaign to shape the rulemaking of a landmark law that will have a big impact on reducing plastic pollution in California. Her worked included researching policy and advocacy strategies to address plastic pollution across its lifecycle. Carley has a deep commitment to environmental justice solutions that also uphold and advance workers’ rights. She is currently a second-year Master of Public Policy student.
GRADUATE RESEARCH GRANT RECIPIENTS
Each year, the Luskin Center for Innovation provides financial support for students’ capstone projects, allowing them to expand the scope of their applied environmental justice or sustainability projects.
To the right are members of one team we recently advised and supported with a Graduate Research Grant. In partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, this team of master’s in urban and regional planning students assessed how to improve drought and wildfire resilience for small water systems in LA County, with a focus on consolidation, emergency preparedness, and equitable access to safe drinking water.
Alex Sun
Alex’s academic and professional interests lie within disaster risk reduction and sustainable planning. With a certificate in global public affairs, he hopes to engage interdisciplinary and international collaboration while supporting community-led innovation and planning to address climate change.
Allison Samsel
Allison is interested in planning for equity, generating resources for historically excluded groups and neighborhoods, and forwarding projects that increase quality of life and happiness. She has previously worked on efforts to decrease Southern California’s digital divide and promote human rights for incarcerated people.
Aydin Pasebani
Aydin has concentrated his studies in design and development with a focus on inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient urban development. He brings cross-sector experience in environmental justice, open space, and infrastructure planning.
Catherine Ren
Catherine is passionate about economics and urban development, with a strong interest in how transportation and environmental policy influence the growth of sustainable, livable cities. She focuses on the intersection of infrastructure, public policy, and global affairs to support long-term economic and environmental resilience.
Chloe Curry
Chloe has a deep commitment to environmental justice, equitable infrastructure, and inclusive policy development. Her work bridges planning, public health, and community-based research, centering the voices and experiences of historically marginalized communities.
Emily Cadena
Emily is interested in transportation policy and planning. She aspires to improve public transit and pedestrian infrastructure for current and future generations.
Dana Choi
Dana is interested in clean energy infrastructure, international development, and environmental equity. She has worked with Habitat for Humanity International’s Global Programming team, The Planning Report, and VerdeXchange, contributing to projects at the intersection of policy, infrastructure, and sustainability.
Leo Blain
Leo is interested in data analytics, organized labor, spatial analysis, and infrastructure design.
Leila Moinpour
Leila is a mixed-methods researcher specializing in spatial data and data science to support long-range planning for climate resilience. Her work focuses on helping planners address wildfires, extreme heat, sea-level rise, water resources, and disaster recovery to build stronger, more adaptive communities.
Nasir Sakandar
Nasir is a resilience planner currently specializing in extreme weather impacts on transportation and infrastructure systems. He has led and supported criticality and vulnerability assessments, regional and statewide policy strategy development, and national scientific studies.
Veronica De Santos Quezada
Veronica is interested in international water governance, especially in how multilateral agreements can support the sustainable development goals by strengthening transboundary cooperation, advancing environmental justice, and promoting equitable resource management.
Will Callan
Will is a researcher and former journalist interested in how California communities adapt to drought, wildfire, and other climate-related hazards. At UCLA, he studied water resources broadly, from water system resilience to historically informed watershed planning.
Please help us support emerging environmental leaders shaping a more sustainable and equitable future.
To discuss these opportunities, please contact Colleen Callahan, co-executive director, at ccallahan@luskin.ucla.edu.