Olivia Olmsted

What is your major? Environmental engineering, with a certificate in sustainability

Expected graduation: May 2027

What inspired your interest in the environment and/or community? I grew up in a rural agricultural community where the environment was at the center of everything. In high school I worked with my science teacher to install low cost air quality monitors in our school parking lot, a local industrial factory, and a family run farm. The data that we found showed extraordinarily high levels of PM and methane, which are direct causes of a variety of health issues.

As we connected these findings to the people in the community, there was a pattern: early fatalities and chronic illnesses among industrial workers, farmers, and truck drivers, many of whom were family, friends and neighbors. From that point forward, I have felt a deep responsibility to work toward improving air quality to protect the health and safety of the community that has supported me, and the people who keep America’s food system moving.