Students

The Earth Grant, a year-long leadership development program for select students, welcomes this year’s cohort of 24 students.

After completing a B.A. in justice and law from American University, Bryce Dempsey is pursuing a B.S. in pharmaceutical science. He uses his background in law to bridge knowledges in Medicine and practice advocacy.

Nicolas Katz, a senior majoring in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, advocates for activism through community building.

Jacob Blais is a senior studying Natural Resources, and will pursue a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Science. As an intern for a NASA undergraduate research lab, he studies soil respiration in the Sonoran Desert.

As a junior majoring in Natural Resources, Nadira Mitchell gets involved on campus and blends her personal interests with her professional goals.

Jamie Irby discusses her experience cleaning the Santa Cruz river and urges residents of Tucson to think deeply about their littering habits. 

Lexis Meza, a sophomore majoring in Biology, has been selected to join The Earth Grant as a Program Assistant after being a member of last year’s student cohort. She will be co-managing leadership workshops, social media, and outreach activities. 

Earth grant student volunteers carefully save molokhia seeds in the New Roots Garden.

Shannon Taylor is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Geographic Information Systems Technology (GIST) and a minor in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona. She resides on the ancestral land of her mother’s people. Through her coursework, she brings traditional ecological knowledge of the land to her studies.

Sam Wetherell, a sophomore at UArizona pursuing a double major in PPEL and EWRE, discusses environmental spaces and the intersection between politics, economics, and advocacy.