Environmental Studies Program

Kayla O’Shea is a senior from Braintree, MA majoring in Environmental Studies and Biology, and is especially interested in conservation, environmental education, and creating stronger links between people and their local environments. On campus, she is a coordinator for Symbiosis (Waltham Group) and Education for Students by Students, a tree class TA, and a research assistant with a biology research lab. This past summer she worked with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on a variety of projects, from monitoring invasive species to protecting Blanding’s turtle nests. In her free time, Kayla enjoys reading, hiking, photography, baking, and watching movies. Please feel free to reach out for advice regarding the Environmental Studies program or for any guidance on life and academics at Brandeis!

Hi! I'm Hedy, and I'm a junior from Princeton, NJ, majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics and minoring in Journalism, with specific interests in climate journalism, environmental/climate justice, regenerative agriculture, and food systems. On campus, I also work as a Violence Prevention Educator at PARC, play ultimate frisbee with Banshee, serve as a teaching assistant for tree class, and write for The Justice. Outside of class, I enjoy running, crocheting, and cooking. Please feel free to reach out to discuss course selection/recommendations, how to get involved in co-curricular environmental spaces at Brandeis, what it’s like living and working on a regenerative farm in the midwest, mushroom growing, or anything in between!

My name is Leo Zhang, a senior majoring in Environmental Studies. I am originally from Xinjiang, China, and I am interested in climate justice, activism, and climate psychology, including climate anxiety and climate grief.

On campus I am the co-founder and co-president of Students for Environmental Action (SEA). You can also find me meditating at Zen Zone, making art with Japanese Student Association and occasionally gardening at Lemberg Children’s Center. Outside of campus I enjoy riding around Cambridge and looking at trees.

Feel free to reach out for advice about the major or getting involved with climate activism.