![]() ![]() These are important skills for climate leadership. I wanted to create a space that allowed Climate School students to bolster their civic literacy, engage with advocacy, and translate climate research into policy. My colleagues are doing a lot of important research, and I want to make sure that the research they’re doing is going into the right hands and getting translated into policy. And so that kind of affirmed my space and why I belonged at the Climate School just as much as everyone else. Professor Andrew Kruczkiewicz (of the Climate School’s International Research Institute for Climate and Society) once said, ‘We’re teaching you how to be translators.’ I think that helped me understand how important it was to not just have scientists, but also climate policy makers. I’m interested in influencing climate policy. In undergrad I double majored in environmental science and political science, and everything kind of converged here at the Climate School. What brought you to the Climate and Society program? In the Q&A below, Stahl shares more about why the Climate School needs a student government, and why governance matters in the broader field of climate policy. Through this program, Stahl hopes to continue advancing toward their ultimate goal of working in the federal government on policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. With graduation fast approaching, Stahl is looking forward to their next steps, which include an environmental justice internship at NASA, and working toward a second master’s degree - this time focusing on political analytics at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies. Stahl’s leadership on this effort was recently recognized with a Campbell Award. And since then, they’ve worked to create spaces - and seats at the proverbial table - for others to feel validated and have their own voices heard.Īs a master’s candidate in the Climate and Society program, Stahl founded the Columbia Climate Graduate Council - the official student government of the Columbia Climate School - writing a constitution and bylaws that will empower students and promote representation and equity. “I was like, ‘Where do I belong?’”Ĭonnecting with nature and learning traditions from Indigenous leaders helped to validate Stahl’s identity. So I felt like I had grown up with a culture that I don’t belong to, and belonged to a culture that I didn’t grow up with,” says Stahl. Finding out about their Indigenous heritage at the age of 18 further shook their sense of identity. Growing up in the conservative wine country of Temecula, California - where cowboy boots abound and the most popular nightclub is a line-dancing studio - Saxon Stahl stood out from what was expected in their hometown. A soon-to-be-graduate of the MA in Climate and Society program, Saxon Stahl created the Climate School’s student government. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |