Meet the Interns: Welcome Megan!
A current Master’s student at the University of San Francisco, we can’t wait to read Megan’s thesis on the gendered impacts of community-based conservation initiatives at Amboseli National Park in Kenya, and see the positive impact she makes for women and environment in her career. We’re so lucky to work with her!
Hometown: Broomfield, Colorado
If you had a superpower, what would it be (and why)? If I had a superpower, I would want it to be the ability to speak many languages because I have always wanted to be multilingual. Other than English I am proficient in Spanish, but someday I hope to learn more languages.
Why did you want to intern with WEA? I wanted to Intern at WEA because I am passionate about WEA’s mission to bolster female leadership while protecting the environment. Female empowerment and environmental sustainability are issues that represent a big part of who I am both personally and academically. Also, interning at WEA means working with a very impressive and amazing group of women.
Tell us about a woman who inspires you. This is a tough question, because there are so many inspiring women in my life. However, since I was a very young girl I have been inspired by Jane Goodall because her approach to researching chimpanzees was completely revolutionary, and she has also become an incredible leader for conservation. Also, she is 83 years old and traveling and sharing her messages of hope and inspiring change — which is pretty awesome!
Why women and why the environment? Since I was a young girl I have always felt drawn to the outdoors, the environment and conservation. Growing up I spent most of my time outdoors — climbing trees in my backyard, going on mountain biking adventures with my family. I always watched animal planet any chance I got and read every book I could on topics related to conservation. As I grew up I became more aware of women’s issues and was able to piece together the intersectionality of women’s issues and environmental issues. I was incredibly inspired by Vandana Shiva and Maria Mies’ book on Ecofeminism, and I am currently researching topics related to women and the environment through my master’s course work and independent research.
What does your life outside WEA look like? I am pursuing a Master’s degree in International Studies at the University of San Francisco. Currently I am working on my thesis, researching the gendered impacts of conservation development in Kenya. I will be traveling back to Kenya later on this summer to interview Maasai women living near Amboseli National Park about their experience with wildlife conservation and tourism. Outside of school and WEA, I also work as a mental health specialist providing behavioral services to children within their academic settings in the East Bay. Also, my partner and I have 3 dogs so a lot of my time is spent adventuring with them!
What’s your favorite thing to do in the Bay Area? I really enjoying the hiking! My favorite places are Redwood Regional Park (because it is so easy to get to from my house) but I also really enjoy Muir Woods, and Point Reyes. Also, since being in the Bay I have really enjoyed being near the ocean. I’ve been able to learn new activities like paddleboarding, and my dogs also love to visit the beach!
What are you currently reading / watching / listening to? Currently, I have become very invested in watching the Handmaiden’s Tale on Hulu. I also watch a lot of documentaries, and I recently discovered a documentary series on Netflix called Tales by Light. This series follows photographers to places all of the world and also discusses the cultural and environmental significance of their work and subjects. As far as music one of my favorite bands, Dispatch, just released a new album. They are awesome because aside from being musicians they use their platform and music to discuss issues of social injustice.