My zeal for environmentalism first took shape through my work with CALPIRG Students, where I served as Chair of the San Diego chapter and led the “Beyond Plastic” initiative. During my time with CALPIRG, I led policy advocacy campaigns that helped pass several major anti-waste laws in California, including SB 54 (Allen, 2022) holding plastic producers fiscally responsible for waste, SB 244 (Eggman, 2023) establishing a right to repair electronics to combat e-waste, and SB 1053 (Blakespear, 2024) banning plastic bags at retail stores. I also played a key role in helping pass a 2022 San Diego city ordinance completely banning harmful polystyrene foam. On campus, I educated thousands of students about pressing current issues, trained hundreds of students as activists and leaders, and fundraised over six figures. Off-campus, I lobbied legislators in Sacramento and in San Diego, facilitated nonprofit coalitions, and secured media coverage for our biggest activism wins. Through grassroots organizing, lobbying, and stakeholder engagement, I saw firsthand how public interest activism and environmental policy can drive meaningful change.

But I also saw its limits. Policy alone can’t solve the climate crisis—especially when corporations find ways to delay, dilute, or outright ignore regulations. A clear example I witnessed firsthand was California’s original 2015 plastic bag ban, which contained a loophole that allowed companies to continue distributing thick plastic “reusable” bags that were still harmful and rarely reused. It took nearly a decade to close that loophole with SB 1053—and even now, plastic bags are still in circulation across the state, revealing just how fragile policy victories can be without enforcement, oversight, and private sector accountability.

That realization sparked my pivot toward corporate sustainability and ESG analysis. I joined the Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) at UC San Diego, where I now lead ESG research as Director of Project Management. I’ve built proprietary ESG frameworks, developed a greenwashing screening tool, and guided students in analyzing the sustainability performance and financial strategy of major corporations. This work allows me to explore how companies can operate more ethically—not just by complying with policy, but by embedding sustainability into their core operations.

My path hasn’t been linear, but every part of it informs the kind of analyst I am. My background in neuroscience gives me systems-level thinking and a deep understanding of human behavior—particularly useful when examining the psychology of the climate crisis. My passion for constitutional law and legal analysis, honed through years of competitive moot court, has made me a sharp, structured thinker; I’ve won multiple titles for my ability to craft persuasive legal arguments and dissect complex regulatory frameworks. And my experience in environmental activism taught me how to work with diverse stakeholders, build consensus, and translate abstract goals into real-world impact.

Sustainability sits at the intersection of everything I care about—environmental justice, ethical governance, behavioral insight, and analytical rigor. I’m excited to be building a career where I can bring these strengths together to help businesses become more transparent, accountable, and sustainable.