Melannie Agaton

Melannie Agaton holding her memory map. The background is a red to purple duotone of the heart mural along with the the Lead.Create.Change internship logo, covid-19 Ethnographic project title. Below are their name and major. On the footer, the latino cultural center logo on the left side and the url latinoculturalcenter.uic.edu/internships that leads to the internship page

What is something that you found interesting or learned more about as a result of this internship?

I have always been interested in social justice; however, I never realized that climate justice is one of the biggest issues affecting marginalized communities. There is so much going on around the world that is constantly shaping people’s lives and experiences. Through this internship and team meetings I have learned to articulate my thoughts, beliefs, and knowledge and explain it to groups of people.

The background is a red to purple duotone of the heart mural along with the the Lead.Create.Change internship logo, covid-19 Ethnographic project title. Below are their name and major. On the footer, the latino cultural center logo on the left side and the url latinoculturalcenter.uic.edu/internships that leads to the internship page

How has your knowledge on environmental and climate justice grown as a result of the internship?

My knowledge about climate justice was relatively limited when I entered this internship but it has been completely transformed throughout this internship. I have learned about the history of climate injustice, the beginnings of activism and resistance movements created by marginalized communities, and how people are responding to environmental injustice currently. I understand the issues at hand and have begun forming my own opinions and possible solutions to community needs.