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Empowering Tomorrow's Environmental Leaders
The University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) Next-Gen Scholars program offers first-year MS/MLA students access to strengths-based support and the opportunity to be part of a small cohort across SEAS specializations.
Cohort members have unique backgrounds as first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients, and come from educational or geographic backgrounds that are underrepresented in SEAS graduate studies. The students in the program have an interest in consciously contributing to diverse perspectives at SEAS and in the professional world of sustainability.
The program has been designed to help scholars develop their personal potential while building a reliable and supportive community—the start of a growing professional network. It also offers a mentorship component, which has been designed to help students chart their paths to realize aspirations, allowing them to build a lasting relationship with someone who can help them grow both personally and as professionals in the environmental and sustainability fields. SEAS welcomed the first cohort of Next-Gen Scholars in Fall 2022.
I was proud to say I was a Next-Gen Scholar .... I loved it — all of my closest friends are in the Next-Gen Scholar program and it feels like a safe and warm community in a sea of newness. Super helpful as someone who struggles to meet and connect with new people."
Next-Gen was one of my favorite experiences at SEAS. It helped forge some of my best friendships while at school, but also provided a space where we could be more candid about our experiences coming from the backgrounds that we come from and having people that understand that who are willing to support one another. It has also helped expose me to so many different career building aspects that I may have taken for granted otherwise that the university has capacity to offer. Being in the program made me feel seen and loved. I would highly recommend it to students, whatever their capacity, it was really worthwhile to lean into."
Student Spotlight: Daniel Tinajero
Daniel Tinajero (MBA/MS '27) is pursuing a career at the intersection of finance, sustainable development, infrastructure, and clean energy. He is a dual MBA/MS candidate at the University of Michigan through the Erb Institute, where he combines business strategy, finance, and sustainability to better understand how capital can unlock the infrastructure and energy systems that support long-term economic development.
Next-Gen Scholars Cohorts
Fall 2025 Next-Gen Scholars Cohort
- Yahia Ali, Sustainable Systems
- Neha Awasthi, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Selma Barboza-Campos, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Zoe Brown, Sustainability and Development
- Erin Burns, Sustainable Systems
- Ashley Carrasco, Sustainable Systems
- Nikki Chopra, Ecosystem and Science Management
- George Edison, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Annabella Fritts, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Ashton Gibson, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Daniella Gibson Colon, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Hope Glaze, Sustainability and Development
- Ansleigh Gunter, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Diego Gutierrez, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Amaya Hall, Environmental Justice
- Luna Hammer, Environmental Justice
- MacKenzie Haneberg, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Madeline Hennessey, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Andrew Housman, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Aquilla (Odera) Igwe, Landscape Architecture
- Caitlin Jacobs, Environmental Justice
- Kamren Johnson, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Cameron Kaufman, Environmental Justice
- Joshua Lemrow-Collazo-Rosario, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Julianne Liu, Environmental Justice
- Ainsley Logar, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Josephine McCarthy, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Jenna McCarty, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Alyssa Melotik, Landscape Architecture
- Victoria Moore, Environmental Justice
- Ryan Naff, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Ogochukwu Ononiwu, Sustainability and Development
- Anna Paetkau, Landscape Architecture
- Julia Peters, Environmental Justice
- Julia Radhakrishnan, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Joann Ransom, Environmental Justice
- Nia Richardson, Sustainability and Development
- Cloey Seltzer, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Annalisa Shehab, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Laura Simmons, Sustainability and Development
- Dominick Stoops, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Ramya Subramanian, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Tennessee Swearingen, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Mia Terek, Sustainable Systems
- Willow Vowler, Environmental Justice
- Alexandrah Walker, Environmental Justice
- Hunter Wilkes, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Kaija Windeler, Environmental Policy and Planning
Fall 2024 Next-Gen Scholars Cohort
- Milan Anderson, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Eleanor Aro, Environmental Justice
- Coral Avery, Environmental Justice
- Joe Bailey, Landscape Architecture
- Kristen Bashen, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Alessia Bernocco, Sustainable Systems
- Zoe Bishop, Environmental Justice
- Myrcella Bowen, Environmental Justice
- Tyler Bunday, Environmental Justice
- Kelsey Jones Campana, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Zach Cavanaugh, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Nayomi Cawthorne, Sustainability and Development
- Alina DeVoogd, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Dunya Diyadawagamage, Sustainability and Development
- Dillon Foster, Sustainability and Development
- Mateo Garcia, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Madisyn Guza, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Daisy Hall, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Neal Harbaugh, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Tiffany Harris, Environmental Justice
- Jenna James, Landscape Architecture
- Sofia Jordan, Ecosystem and Science Management
- RJ Juckett, Sustainability and Development
- Taylor Juleen, Environmental Justice
- Doris Kiambati, Sustainability and Development
- Eli Knodel, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Aberdeen Leary, Environmental Justice
- Sofia Ledeneva, Environmental Justice
- Sydney Lubeck, Sustainable Systems
- Bibi Macias, Environmental Justice
- Kassandra Maraz, Environmental Justice
- Alexandra Maxwell, Environmental Justice
- Jaedyn Medrano, Behavior, Education, and Communication
- Adriana Nieto, Sustainability and Development
- Licieli Olivo, Sustainability and Development
- Logan Ragsdale, Sustainable Systems
- Arjun Ramachandran, Sustainable Systems
- Jonathan Rosales, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Maria Sandoval, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Christine Sit, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Amidat Sonekan, Sustainability and Development
- Marla Steele, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Bionca Stewart, Sustainability and Development
- Daniel Tinajero, Sustainability and Development
- Marianna Coelho Uchoa, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Lisa Vaiman, Ecosystem and Science Management
- Edgar Israel Venegas, Sustainable Systems
- Jenny Zhang, Sustainability and Development
- Crystal Zhao, Sustainable Systems
Fall 2023 Next-Gen Scholars Cohort
- Tara Apo, Environmental Justice
- Sarra Bridges, Environmental Justice
- Olivia Butts, Environmental Justice
- Amelia Clark, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Katelyn Connelly, Environmental Justice
- Bridget Damon, Sustainability and Development
- Devin Derr, Landscape Architecture
- Nia Dubon-Robinson, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Amina Dunn, Environmental Justice
- Daniela Giordano, Behavior, Education and Communication
- Julie Gourlay, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Amaya Griego, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Taylor Hayes, Sustainable Systems
- Paige Hughart, Landscape Architecture
- Marsalis Jolley, Landscape Architecture
- Ceci Kimball, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Sol Llanes, Sustainability and Development
- Daniel Lim, Landscape Architecture
- Samantha Maldonado, Environmental Justice
- Lizz Malloy, Environmental Justice
- Cheyenne Morris, Environmental Justice
- Alyssa Murphy, Landscape Architecture
- Suliyat Olagbenro, Sustainable Systems
- Sara Olmsted, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Lyric Patterson, Environmental Justice
- Paula Perez Cassidy, Environmental Justice
- Craig Reiley, Sustainability and Development
- Morgan Riggs, Sustainability and Development
- Shivanee Shah, Sustainable Systems
- Anusuya Singh, Sustainable Systems
- Jessica Soulliere, Landscape Architecture
- Lauren Talbot, Ecosystem Science and Management + Environmental Policy and Planning
- Justin Thompson, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Tien Vo, Ecosystem Science and Management + Environmental Justice
- Monica Woodruff, Ecosystem Science and Management
Fall 2022 Next-Gen Scholars Cohort
- Carlina Arango, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Lauren Bennett, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Jamie Brackman, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Grace Carbeck, Landscape Architecture
- Christina Contreras, Landscape Architecture
- Maria Di Cresce, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Mary Edwards, Sustainability and Development
- Abril Galang, Behavior, Education and Communication
- Alexa Garnet, Landscape Architecture
- Deanna Geelhoed, Environmental Justice
- Megan Gross, Environmental Justice
- Warren Gunn, Sustainability and Development
- L’Oreal Hawkes, Sustainable Systems
- Nayethzi Hernandez, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Laramie Jeude, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Annie Katheiser, Sustainability and Development
- Jacob Kennedy, Environmental Justice
- Lora Kralik, Sustainable Systems
- Latia Leonard, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Praveen Mahendran, Sustainable Systems
- Anastasia Marie, Landscape Architecture
- Kaia McKenney, Landscape Architecture
- TK McKenzie, Environmental Justice
- Megan McLaughlin, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Summer Mengarelli, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Taylor Mitchell, Sustainable Systems
- Maya Morgan, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Tre’Nard Morgan, Environmental Justice
- Alifaire Noreen, Sustainability and Development
- Lars Panquin, Sustainability and Development
- Jayna Sames, Landscape Architecture
- Cameron Scharff, Environmental Justice
- Naajia Shakir, Environmental Justice
- Japjyot Singh, Environmental Justice
- April Sunid, Environmental Policy and Planning
- Valerie Tafoya, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Sailing Tang, Geospatial Data Sciences
- Dominique Valentine, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Kristina (Tina) Waterbury, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Caleb Wegener, Ecosystem Science and Management
- Savannah Whaley, Environmental Justice
- Haley Willman, Sustainable Systems
Staff and Faculty Representatives
M'Lis Bartlett
Lecturer | Specialization: Environmental Justice
Brian Weeks
Assistant Professor | Specialization: Ecosystem Science and Management
Student Program Assistants
Tyler Bunday
Lead Student Program Assistant
He/Him/His
Hi! My name is Tyler Bunday, and I'm a second-year student at SEAS specializing in Environmental Justice and Ecosystem Science and Management. I grew up in the Bay Area and have a deep love for nature. Before school, I worked as an engineer for a few years before deciding I needed to make a career change. Outside of school, I enjoy anything outdoors like biking, hiking, and especially swimming. I also enjoy playing volleyball/tennis and love to cook. Feel free to reach out for a chat about anything, I really value making heartfelt connections.
Edgar Venegas
Student Program Assistant
He/Him/His
Ecuadorian from Chicago, soccer defender, and former second-degree taekwondo black belt. Bachelor's of Science in Engineering (BSE) in Industrial Engineering (IOE) from UofM, and currently pursuing a Master's of Sustainable Systems from the School of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS). A fun thing that I did over this summer was build an extension to my grandmother's garden and plant 3 Blueberry bushes and 5 strawberry bushes, with maintenance on two orange trees, a lemon tree, and a peach tree.
Daniel Tinajero
Student Program Assistant
He/Him/His
My name is Daniel Tinajero. I am Mexican-American from San Diego, CA and I am one of the
Next-Gen Peer Advisors as well as a second-year dual-degree graduate student pursuing a
Master’s in Environment and Sustainability and an MBA at the Ross School of Business.
When I am not at Dana or Ross, you can usually find me running or working out. One of my
favorite pastimes outside of that is cooking and making great food. Over the summer I traveled
to Hong Kong, Korea and San Francisco. I am excited to be a Next-Gen Peer Advisor, and look
forward to working with everyone.