Déjà Thomas
Environmental Studies, 2017
I have had several great mentors and research experiences at SCU. I’ve been working with Professor Chris Bacon’s NSF research in Nicaragua on water and food security in rural areas. I’ve also worked with Thriving Neighbors at Washington Elementary school to monitor air particles around the school and to brainstorm with others to come up with ways to protect the students from the pollution from cars on busy nearby streets. I was also a Global Social Benefit Fellow with the Miller Center. Last summer I traveled to Uganda to do research for a social enterprise called Bana. Bana helps girls get access to sustainable sanitary pads. We conducted ethnographic research and interviews to improve their business model. Professor John Farnsworth served as one of our mentors in guiding our research and in writing our final deliverable. My favorite part of ESS is that we we get to learn in a lot of very relaxed settings which has been essential in managing stress and getting the most out of our education. After graduation, I’m planning to live in Oakland and work in San Francisco. After a couple of years I hope to go to graduate school for either communications or urban affairs.
Photo: Déjà and her research partner, Christina, in Uganda.