Aileen Villa
Food and Rural Issues Lab
SCR, Class of 2022, politics and anthropology (dual)
she, her, hers
Aileen Villa is a second-year student from Nogales, Arizona. She has been involved in bridging health disparities in her community by addressing food issues and examining connections between food access and class. Through EnviroLab Asia, Aileen hopes to study food issues as biosocial phenomena. She aims to gain greater insight on food issues in different global contexts and compare and contrast them with U.S. and Latin American environments. She will apply her previous experience and background in political and anthropological studies to her work in EnviroLab Asia.
Andria (Dri) Tattersfield
Emissions Lab
CMC, Class of 2021, physics and philosophy
they/them
Andria Chiu-Tattersfield (Dri) is a physics and philosophy major at CMC who can usually be found laying in patches of grass or learning how to garden. They grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, where they ate a lot of scallion pancakes, and now live in Portland, Oregon. They love writing poetry, doodling and combining the two into comics! They are interested in studying how people shape and are shaped by the environment, and hope to learn how to integrate quantitative and qualitative approaches through the EnviroLab Asia Class. They are especially interested in learning about how social structures and power dynamics shape different farming practices. Dri is also very excited to learn from organic farmers in Korea and to do fieldwork on the Clinic Trip.
Danny DeBare
Food and Rural Issues Lab
POM, Class of 2022, politics, East Asian concentration
he/him, his
Danny is a second-year politics major at Pomona College from Piedmont, California. Before coming to college, he took a gap year in Ecuador, co-teaching English at the local elementary school and working in a vegan bread bakery in his free time. He lived with an Indigenous host family, gaining a new appreciation for farming and working with the earth. In college, Danny is a Head Baker for Claremont Challah. Involved in a myriad of progressive political groups, from the local College Community Action Network (CCAN) to J Street U, Danny helped flip the nearest Orange County district blue in November 2018 (#teamGil). After taking a Modern East Asian history course at CMC last year, Danny became inspired to dedicate more time and energy into learning about this culturally rich, politically complicated, and environmentally stunning part of the world. As the pendulum of world power swings across the Pacific Ocean, Danny is eager to immerse himself in the current-day issues and events of Eastern Asia, especially through a politics and environmental lens.
Denise Hernandez
Air Pollution Lab
CMC, Class of 2021, physics
she, her, hers
Denise Hernandez is originally from Chicago, IL. She is a rising junior at Claremont McKenna College studying physics. Her interest in Envirolab Asia initially stemmed from a project she worked on at the Computational Institute at the University of Chicago. The project involved gathering data on energy literacy and attempting to find ways to communicate and visualize the data to a large audience. Denise hopes to continue building on these ideas and skills through EnviroLab Asia.
Jacob Noh
Food and Rural Issues Lab
POM, Class of 2021, history
he, him, his
Jacob is a third-year student at Pomona College majoring in history. He was born in Gwangju, South Korea and immigrated to United States in 2000. He currently lives in Buford, Georgia with his mother, father, and older brother. He loves to play basketball and watch movies. In the EnviroLab Asia course, he plans to explore the intersection between Korean history and environmental issues in East Asia. He is drawn to the Food and Rural Issues Lab because of his extended family’s connections to the Korean agricultural industry. He wishes to use his skills to conduct a research project that directly relates to his personal story. He is excited to work with professors and students across the 5Cs who have different experiences, perspectives, and skills.
Jinglan Lin
Air Pollution Lab
Pitzer College, Class of 2021, environmental analysis, sustainability and built environment track
she, her, hers
Jinglan Lin is a junior at Pitzer College. She is super interested in looking into eco-friendly buildings and ways to create more sustainable cities. Currently Jinglan is studying the LEED rating system online. She is excited about the opportunity to gain hands-on experience about environmental topics and apply the knowledge that in future years. She spent her fall 2019 semester studying abroad at Sciences Po in Paris, France.
Julia Beckwith
Air Pollution Lab
SCR, Class of 2021, environmental analysis and computer science
she, her, hers
Julia Beckwith is a junior at Scripps College studying environmental analysis and computer science. She grew up just north of Boston, MA. She is looking forward to exploring the intersections between her majors and continuing to develop her Korean language skills through EnviroLab Asia. She is especially excited for the opportunity to return to Korea, where her mother grew up, and explore parts of the country she has yet to visit. She cannot wait to learn and work with the other EnviroLab Fellows next semester!
Justin Lee
Air Pollution Lab
POM, Class of 2020, international relations
he, him his
Justin Lee is originally from Revere, MA. He is a senior at Pomona majoring in international relations and minoring in math. He is currently writing a thesis with a tentative title of “Queer International Relations: National Security Constrains LGBTQ Rights in South Korea.” The inspiration for this topic came from his summer and semester abroad in South Korea where queer identity and military service were recurring topics that came up both in and outside the classroom. His time in Korea also showed him the severity of the climate crisis. He is interested in EnviroLab Asia because he wants to investigate how policy decisions on massive issues affect individuals’ daily lives.
Kazandra E. Zelaya
Food and Rural Issues Lab
CMC, Class of 2021, environmental analysis and classics
she, her, hers
Kazandra Esperanza Zelaya is studying built environmental analysis and classical studies (dual) at Claremont McKenna College. She is from Phoenix, Arizona and will be part of the Food and Rural Issues Lab. Climate change has exceedingly pressured those surviving on agriculture to migrate and find other means of living. This places a heavy burden on many families living in rural areas. She hopes to learn more about how the changes in soil and weather patterns are contributing to the lack of produce production and any possible solutions that could be implemented. She is curious to understand more about the root causes of these problems and to study the many moving pieces to investigate.
Kylie Wong
Emissions Lab
POM, Class of 2022, environmental analysis
she, her, hers
Kylie Wong is from San Lorenzo, California, and is majoring in environmental analysis with a concentration in sustainability and the built environment. She was born in Macau, China and has lived in the East Bay Area since she was 4 years old. Growing up, Kylie was exposed to many different environments and has observed many patterns in both societies that she has been a part of. This has all fueled her passion in learning about the intersections of the natural environment and human society. She has learned that urban segregation is prominent in the most vulnerable communities of the world, communities that she is a part of; therefore, she would like to translate her knowledge from classes at Pomona, enhanced by her experiences as a first-generation low-income student, into actual first-hand experiences outside of the classroom. To do so, Kylie would love to interact with the people of the land, to listen to their stories, and to ultimately learn from them through gaining on-field experience with EnviroLab Asia.
Marco Morfin
Food and Rural Issues Lab
CMC, Class of 2023, neuroscience
he, him, his
Marco Morfin is pursuing a major in neuroscience with an emphasis in philosophy. He grew up in Houston, TX around many chemical plants and could not go a day without seeing, hearing, or smelling a local refinery. He sees EnviroLab Asia as an experience that will allow him to focus on learning about environmental issues.
Sarah Song
Emissions Lab
POM, Class of 2022, international relations/economics
she, her, hers
Sarah Song is from Monterey, California, a region straddled by the Monterey Bay, home to a diverse abundance of marine flora and fauna, and the Salinas Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in California. She was raised by my grandparents, who were farmers, and was able to witness how a community’s social, economic, and cultural identity can be derived from the environment it sits on. Because of this, she is passionate about understanding sustainability practices in the context of political, economic, and historical influences within communities. She is incredibly excited to be part of EnviroLab Asia, and hope that the student experiences in South Korea will promote the continued global conversation on environmental protection.
Skylar Gering
Food and Rural Issues Lab
HMC, Class of 2022, computer science and environmental analysis
she/her/hers
Skylar Gering is a double major in computer science and environmental analysis at Harvey Mudd College. She is originally from Palm Desert, California. She is passionate about the intersection of technology and the natural world and is interested in studying biological systems and environmental conservation. Skylar is the ASHMC Sustainability Director at Harvey Mudd, which is a student government position. She acts as a liaison between the students and the administration regarding environmental issues and plan outreach events. She is also a founding member of the 5C Regenerative Environmental Coalition, which was created to connect 5C student environmental leaders. She is excited to participate in Envirolab Asia and hopes to learn about international environmental issues as well as Korean culture. Before attending Harvey Mudd, Skylar took a gap year to live in China to continue studying Chinese. She is passionate about learning languages and enjoys going to Pomona’s Oldenborg Language Center for lunch to practice conversational skills. She is excited to learn Korean and to go back to Asia.
Sophie Perry
Emissions Lab
SCR, Class of 2022, environmental analysis, agroecology track
she, her, hers
Sophie Perry is a Scripps sophomore from the Boston area. She was inspired to apply to Envirolab Asia to take advantage of the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in environmental science while learning from a different culture and landscape. She was particularly interested in the Emissions Lab due to her interest in agroecology. She attended a boarding school on a farm in Vermont, where she quickly became fascinated by sustainable agriculture. Through working at the organic dairy farm there, as well as an educational garden in central Vermont and a diversified conventional farm in Massachusetts, she has been exposed to a range of agricultural practices on various scales and with varying levels of sustainability. She is interested in how regenerative agriculture can feed communities while restoring ecosystems and sequestering excess atmospheric carbon into the soil. She hopes that through Envirolab Asia’s Emissions Lab, she can gain experience in environmental science, while learning more about food systems in South Korea and the varying environmental impacts of different pig farms there. At Scripps, she is also involved in Sustainability, Empowerment, Education, and Development at Scripps (SEEDS) and co-runs the Scripps Student Garden.
Susannah Budd
Emissions Lab
POM, class of 2022, environmental earth science (geology)
she, her, hers
Susannah Budd spent much of her childhood in rural New Hampshire outdoors and developed a deep love for and interest in the Earth and its systems. During her time at Pomona, she has become particularly interested in sustainable soil science, and particularly how sustainable agriculture may be used as a vehicle for environmental change. Given these interests, she is particularly excited to investigate sustainable agriculture through EnviroLab Asia with the Emissions Lab and to expand her understanding of agricultural issues beyond the scope of her hometown. Outside of school, she enjoys hiking, camping, reading, and skiing.
Tanner Cress
Emissions Lab
CMC, class of 2021, chemistry and psychology
He, him, his
Tanner Cress is originally from a small town called Bicknell in southwestern Indiana. The town consists of roughly 2,800 people. He decided to come to California to see more of the world. He became interested in EnviroLab Asia for a few reasons. First, to build on the chemistry research he is already conducting. Second, he is drawn to the opportunity to experience other cultures. Lastly, having grown up in a rural town, he took air quality for granted until living in California. This has led him to develop an interest in air quality research with the hope of improving the air quality for all.