Breaking News

In recognition of her outstanding contributions across Santa Clara University's campus and the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Paulina Ursua Garcia has received two awards upon graduating.

Environmental Studies Research Award
This award is given to the senior Environmental Studies major who, in the judgment of the ESS faculty, has done the most outstanding work in environmental studies research at SCU and beyond.

The ESS faculty awarded this to Paulina for her significant contributions to conducting original mixed methods research about food justice and extreme heat exposures.

Paulina, who is well versed in the ethical conduct of research, has facilitated focus groups (in both English and Spanish) with food pantry staff and volunteers, qualitatively coded transcripts, and prepared final presentations. She helped design a campaign bringing a food justice message (e.g., food is a human right in 4 languages) to a food pantry that serves over 25,000 people in need annually. Paulina has also made major contributions to the Food and Climate Justice / ACRAF Lab’s student basic needs assessment project. As a first generation student and a LEAD scholar, she decided to lead a segment of the work focused on improving basic needs among other first gen students. Her compelling integration of qualitative research and quantitative survey analysis informed strategies that SCU’s Basic Needs Committee and the LEAD program to improve student basic needs for all and close equity gaps.

Paulina has presented her research during on-campus fora, at the national Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences conference, and at the Statewide student basic needs conference. Importantly, she also conducted geospatial and mixed methods and is a co-author on a study, which is currently in peer review, about urban planning for extreme heat events. Paulina has been mentored in her food justice work by Professor Christopher Bacon and by Professor C.J. Gabbe for her research on extreme heat and urban planning.

ESS Justice Award
This award goes to the graduating senior in either Environmental Studies or Environmental Science who, in the judgment of the ESS faculty, best promotes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental field. The student may be honored for community- based or academic research activities that promote environmental justice or that expand the participation of historically excluded groups in environmental stewardship.

Multiple students and faculty nominated Paulina for this award making her an easy unanimous choice. Selections from the nomination statements, which illustrate her significant contributions to to promoting diversity, inclusion and belonging, through her research, organizing, and advocacy are included below:

“I want to nominate Paulina Ursa-Garcia for this award as I believe she promotes the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental field. She has contributed to both community- based and academic research activities at Santa Clara University that promote environmental justice. I have had the pleasure to work with Paulina on multiple occasions and feel empowered by her dedication and commitment to this topic. amazing work on Undocumented Students and Allies Association, organized events.”

“I nominate Paulina Ursua Garcia for the ESS Justice Award. Paulina is a LEAD Scholars, part of the Latinx Student Union and also works for Dr. Bacon's Agroecology, Climate Resilience and Food Justice lab. Paulina embodies the ESS Justice Award due to her outstanding commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the environmental field. She has consistently demonstrated a passion for environmental justice and has actively worked to expand the participation of historically excluded groups in environmental stewardship.”

“She co-led in Undocumented Students and Allies Association, served as the lead organizer for an impressive Migration Gala that we attended with moving testimonies and fundraising to support LEAD scholars program, and conducting student basic need work with about and with LEAD scholars, presented this work an academic 3 academic conferences.”

Learn more about Paulina’s work by reading this featured story from the College of Arts and Sciences, Finding Meaning through Environmental and Social Justice.