Our 2019-2020 Planet Forward Correspondents

Congratulations to our 2019-2020 team of Planet Forward Correspondents! Read below to learn more about the exceptional team of students selected, and be sure to click through to see their full profiles:

  • Rohan Agrawal, University of Mississippi, is a junior majoring in computer science with double minors in international relations and mathematics. He has a great interest in using his education to solve issues surrounding climate change and hunger.
  • Brooke Bowser, University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a junior studying environmental sciences and life sciences communications, and also working toward a certificate in sustainability.
  • Devon Camillieri, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry,  is a junior seeking a degree in environmental studies with a concentration in communication and society. She's minoring in environmental writing and rhetoric.
  • Natalie Chun, Northwestern University, is a junior studying journalism and legal studies.
  • Codi Clark, Texas Tech University, is a junior agricultural communications major, with a minor in natural resource management and a strong interest in photojournalism.
  • Iana Davis, Misericordia University, is a senior studying mass communications.
  • Mahalia Dryak, Reed College, is a senior majoring in environmental studies-biology.
  • Lindsay Eberhart, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, is a junior majoring in environmental studies with a focus in policy, planning, and law.
  • Anne Flaherty, Eckerd College, is a senior majoring in environmental studies and minoring in film studies.
  • Valerie Gutierrez, Middlebury College, is a junior studying economics.
  • Elina Mariutsa, Northeastern University, is a junior studying international affairs and political science, with minors in Russian and history, while simultaneously working on her master’s degree in public administration.
  • Jake Meyers, University of Arizona, is a graduate student in the master's of development practice program and an aspiring development practitioner and social scientist primarily interested in climate change adaptation and international development.
  • Charles Olsen, SUNY Plattsburgh, is a senior environmental studies student, with a focus on environmental justice issues.
  • Max Sano, Franklin & Marshall College, is a sophomore majoring in government and environmental studies, with a minor in Arabic.
  • Cate Twining-Ward, George Washington University, is a sophomore majoring in environmental studies and minoring in sustainability.
  • Marisa Umeh, University of California, Berkeley, is a sophomore studying business administration and media studies.
  • Kelsey Woody, George Washington University, is a graduate student studying strategic public relations.

All Correspondent work will be featured here. Check back frequently!

How do you move the Planet Forward? Tweet us @planet_forward or contribute to the conversation with your own story.

Hub Content

Tamia Parsons, 19, Sunrise Movement Coordinator for the Central New York Hub. (Lindsay Eberhart/SUNY-ESF)

Planet Forward Correspondent | SUNY-ESF
One week after the climate strike, I sat down with 19-year-old Tamia Parsons, a sophomore at Syracuse University and one of the leaders of the environmental movement in Central New York.
Greta Thunberg at the Climate Strike in New York

Greta Thunberg on Friday, Sept. 20, during her closing speech for the Climate Strike in New York. (Elina Mariutsa/Northeastern University)

Planet Forward Correspondent | Northeastern University
With the goal of motivating world leaders, young people have drawn universal attention to global warming in ways that decades of scientific progress could not. 
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent
Nairobi is growing exponentially. Can urban farming help a city on track to reach 8.5 million people achieve a more food secure future?
Planet Forward Correspondent | SUNY-ESF
As we aim toward sustainable, more accessible agricultural practices, community supported agriculture (CSA) continues to grow. This fictional story offers insight to the beginning of the movement.

An open-air market in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, features mounds of fresh vegetables and fruits. (Matthew Laird Acred/Flickr)

Planet Forward Correspondent | University of Mississippi
Mississippi is a contradiction of limited local food access in a state with deep agricultural roots. How can we solve this uniquely American problem, and what can we learn from other countries?

(Ruth Hartnup/Flickr)

Planet Forward Correspondent | Eckerd College
The transition to plant-based diets has been gaining ground recently — for many reasons. These diets are more sustainable, and can be easy for those with means, but can be hard to come by for others.
Planet Forward Senior Correspondent
A Burmese monk believes we can stop climate change by channeling positive energy to ourselves and to others.

Vieques, Puerto Rico, is 21 miles long and only 5 miles wide. Access to the island is by small plane or boat. And water is piped over beneath the ocean's surface from mainland Puerto Rico.

Planet Forward Correspondent | SUNY-ESF
Vieques, Puerto Rico, is a unique island in the Caribbean that knows no bounds when connecting culture and the environment, but it is one of the first places of what will be many that have learned that in today’s world; water is no longer a... Read More
Planet Forward Correspondent | SUNY-ESF
Scientific uncertainty hindering local farmers who are trying to turn bombs to beets while fighting for food sovereignty in Vieques, Puerto Rico.

Planet Forward students toured Bayer's research gardens as a part of our trip. But we happened to visit when the facility was open to everyone through an annual event called "Field Days," where they focus on communicating about agriculture to both educate and demystify the process. (Planet Forward)

Kansas State University
Sustainability and food used to be separate conversations. In the next story in the series, Kansas State's Olivia Bergmeier explores how sustainable ag is now a joint conversation — and both consumers and producers are talking together.

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