From Belize to Washington, DC—An International Journey of Self-Exploration
Written by Julia Jeanty, REU Program Year
As an undergraduate student, I always had a passion for learning more about how climate change and environmental issues affect society, and being selected to conduct research in Belize in the summer of 2017 was truly a formative experience in allowing me to explore this interest further. The nature of this research experience was of particular interest to me because it was so unique; the premise of the research program was to engage with the community of Hopkins and center the research on their knowledge and experiences. People in the community are not only the stakeholders but also the knowledge-holders in regards to the issues that we sought to learn more about, so it is critical that they be the focal point of the research program.
A significant inhibitor in the conventional research process is having individuals parachute into communities, take what they need, and then leave the community high and dry—a common, yet damaging reality of most research projects. Being able to live and work with the community to learn more about how our research topic affected them, and then providing them with data products that they could use to abate these issues was an experience that I will never forget. It not only taught me a lot about the different ways to conduct research, but also provided an incredible lesson in introspection as it allowed me an opportunity to seriously consider the type of work that I aspire to do in the future.
I am now the Coordinator of National Wildlife Federation's Tropical Forests and Agriculture program, where I help advance NWF's work on commodity-driven deforestation with a key focus on palm oil soy, cattle and cocoa. This role has allowed me the opportunity to travel internationally and work with diverse stakeholders, all while applying the skills that I learned throughout the REU—particularly understanding international perspectives on climate issues.
Julia and her team at NWF at COP25 in Madrid
Ultimately, I believe that my experiences will help me cultivate a knowledge base that I hope will one day translate into a PhD in which I will seek to utilize participatory approaches in investigating environmental racism in marginalized communities and understanding how climate change policy implications affect their well-being. I am passionate using science to help solve the world’s most pressing environmental issues, and my best piece of advice to those hoping to do so is to pursue a variety of unique experiences, like this REU, to really find their niche.