Our Alumni in Action

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We caught up with some of our Environmental Studies alums to find out how they are using their Environmental Studies degrees and how an SU Environmental Studies education has prepared them for a career in their chosen fields.

Featured Alum

Photo of Jaybee RagudoJaybee Ragudo, ‘13

Specialization in Urban Sustainability

"All my interactions help me understand community needs and it is my job to bring community members and their feedback into the decision-making process. It all comes back to building relationships that define and build spaces for our communities."

My Environmental Studies Degree prepared me well for my position as an Associate at Enviroissues. We are a communication firm whose goal is to engage the public and decision-makers in conversations that build relationships and define our communities.

What I love most about my job is and my position is how much we are entrenched in public outreach. Public outreach is so vast and diverse in its interactions. I’ve had the opportunity to explore all of them through planning public events, developing web pages, making phone calls, sending emails, creating construction notifications (Yes! The ones that you get in the mail about utility work) and doing that through Covid. It is very rewarding because all these interactions help me understand community needs and it is my job to bring community members and their feedback into the decision-making process. It all comes back to building relationships that define and build spaces for our communities.

I employ the knowledge and experience from my Environmental Studies classes is space activation, and how centralizing human use and interaction breeds success when creating something intended for the public. Over the summer, we worked on the designing the playground that would be on the new Pier 58 and engaged with the public to get their input. We reached out to educators, families and organizations who come to the Seattle waterfront and use it as learning or recreational space. With all the design, outreach and development that goes into a project, it’s easy to get lost in the process, but this project was very rewarding because the feedback we got was very warm and grounding. I loved hearing kids’ thoughts on how they perceived or understood some of the design options. They said things like. “It looks like swiss cheese,” or, “It’s “too pokey, and not that much fun.” It’s things like these that remind me why I love what I do.

Photo of Vivian PadillaViviana Padilla, ‘18

"I always had a passion for food and people, so seeing an entire alternate food system pop up, seemingly out of nowhere, always amazed me. Now I know well that there's a lot that goes into it, but the effort is certainly worth it."

My Environmental Studies Degree prepared me well for my position as the Operations Manager of the Berkeley Farmers' Markets, a program of a non-profit called the Ecology Center. We have three different markets in Berkeley, and my primary responsibility is to ensure that each has everything it needs to run smoothly. I also support the financial tracking of our CalFresh and Market Match nutritional benefit programs, which the Ecology Center facilitates for the entire state of California.

My favorite thing about my job is the market itself! My mom grew up in the fields, so my entire life she made it a point to take me to the farmers’ market each Saturday to meet the farmers and show me the origin of my food. I always had a passion for food and people, so seeing an entire alternate food system pop up, seemingly out of nowhere, always amazed me. Now I know well that there's a lot that goes into it, but the effort is certainly worth it.

Something I draw on constantly from my Environmental Studies days are the many case studies like climate change and fracking, where progress required collaboration with a diverse set of stakeholders. In my role, I seek to create and maintain a space that benefits farmers, vendors and customers in three very different socioeconomic areas. I frequently speak with members of each of these groups and I consider their unique needs and experiences when making decisions for the market as a whole.

Photo of Jessie Dirks at desk wearing a maskJessie Dirks, '19

"I use my education to push youth past the surface level of environmental issues and ask them to assess the social and economic impacts for a just solution."

My Environmental Studies Degree prepared me well for my AmeriCorps service. I just completed my second AmeriCorps term with YMCA Earth Service Corps. I worked with 6-12th graders as a Program Instructor for their school's environmental club. Serving six different schools across the Puget Sound Region meant interfacing with a lot of stakeholders and community partners. I'm transitioning to a new job as an outdoor educator for Seattle Parks and Rec, where I'll be teaching youth outdoor leadership skills.

What I love most about my job is being a mentor to youth and watching their confidence and leadership skills grow! I empower others to make a positive impact in their communities.

I employ the knowledge and experience from my Environmental Studies classes and internships to support the diverse projects youth are excited to implement! I also use my education to push youth past the surface level of environmental issues and ask them to assess the social and economic impacts for a just solution.

Photo of Maia Sparkman with student in front of treesMaia Sparkman, ‘18

"The Environmental Studies program at Seattle University has shaped my ability to address and evaluate today’s complex environmental challenges considering the social, environmental, economic, political, and cultural scope of the problem."

After graduating from SU, I joined the Peace Corps serving as a sustainable agriculture extension agent in Zambia. I lived in a village of about 200 people where I partnered with local counterparts and NGOs to implement sustainable agriculture projects. I worked in partnership with the local health clinic and school district to encourage female empowerment and healthy livelihoods to lower malaria and HIV/AIDS transmission rates. After my Peace Corps service, I returned to the States and started graduate school at Clark University where I am working on a MS in Environmental Science and Policy.

Serving in the Peace Corps gave me the opportunity to integrate into the community in which I worked. I learned that to be the most effective Peace Corp volunteer, I needed to understand the needs of the community. To do that, I learned the local language and built strong working relationships with the villagers. I was most valuable when working as a liaison connecting leaders in the village with NGOs and government officials in the provincial capital to expand access to education and training in sustainable agriculture practices.

Upon completion of my Master’s degree, I hope to pursue a career in addressing the intersection between climate change, food security, and humanitarian conflict both domestically and internationally. My career goal is to provide inclusive and equitable policy recommendations to ensure that the most vulnerable populations have the resources and support to adapt to the changing climate.

One of the most valuable skills that I developed from my Environmental Studies degree that has helped shape me as a young professional is my ability to evaluate complex environmental challenges from a holistic and interdisciplinary perspective. The Environmental Studies program at Seattle University has shaped my ability to address and evaluate today’s complex environmental challenges considering the social, environmental, economic, political, and cultural scope of the problem.