Jenna Mrotek

Though I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors, I became interested in studying the environment during my senior year of high school, taking AP Environmental Science with one of my favorite, most influential teachers. After being exposed to the brutal reality of environmental degradation, as well as the concepts of environmental justice and advocacy, I became intent on using my preference for the humanities to influence environmental attitude and policy. Hence, I am currently studying both environmental studies and political science, with a certificate in gender and women’s studies. Through these disciplines, I’ve learned that tackling environmental problems requires interdisciplinary action by dedicated members of a myriad of professional fields. Meanwhile, as its own field, environmental studies involves science that must be responded to by those who are not necessarily well-versed in the technicalities of scientific knowledge, let alone scientists themselves. This is why I find studying the environment to be a particularly interesting and challenging focus, and why I chose study and am thrilled to work within the Nelson Institute.