Alumni

Sarah is a graduate of SEAS with a Master’s in environmental justice (Grad: 2026). She is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Prior to coming to SEAS, she worked at the Research for Indigenous Social Action and Equity Center at Northwestern University and focused on psychological research for Missing Murdered Indigenous Relatives, Violence Against Native Women, Indigenous Women in Leadership, and Indigenous Climate Justice. As a Catalyst Fellow with the Tishman Center, Sarah completed an 18-month research project  collaborating with her tribe’s natural resource and cultural department to intertwine Ojibwe traditional ecological knowledge with western science. Sarah’s passion for social and environmental justice is rooted in Indigenous feminism, traditional ecological knowledge, culture and tradition, Landback and Waterback initiatives, and the rematriation of ancestral homelands. Sarah’s next step is to keep working on with her community in elevating Anishinaabe knowledge in tribal stewardship, now as a PhD student. 

Eleanor is a graduate of SEAS with a Master’s of Science in Environmental Justice. She grew up in Detroit, MI, and attended UM for her undergraduate degree where she triple majored in Earth & Environmental Sciences, Program in the Environment, and Spanish. As a Catalyst Fellow, Eleanor supported the organizing work of The Rent is Too Damn High and The Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center. She was responsible for providing research, managerial, and communications support for these organizations, and gained important insight into the work of tenant organizing and the importance of community engagement in social justice spaces. Her final research project demonstrated the intertwined histories of tenant organizing and environmental justice, the importance of collective organizing in creating true housing justice, and how environmental justice today is incomplete without tenant organizing. In the future, Eleanor hopes to return to her community in Detroit, and to continue advocating for a socially and environmentally just world.

Coral (they/them) is a citizen of the Shawnee Tribe of Shawnee and of mixed-European descent. They are a graduate of Oregon State University with a double Bachelors of Science in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Sustainability and a minor in German. They were a Tishman Catalyst Fellow from 2024-2026 and received a Masters of Science in Environment & Sustainability with specializations in Environmental Justice and Behavior, Education & Communication. Coral is a published author and artist with a decade of experience in the environmental field in areas including Tribal climate resilience, multimedia art & communications, environmental education, and sustainable community development. Outside of work, Coral enjoys beadwork, gardening, hiking, and kayaking. Over the years,  they have found an equal home in the chaparral of San Diego County and the forests of western Oregon. Today, they reside in Ann Arbor where they continue their work while pursuing a Masters of Science in Environmental Justice at SEAS.

Sofia is a daughter of immigrant farmers who have taught her that love is shown through action. She has worked on a variety of projects with Tribal partners that have focused on culturally important species like Manoomin, tribal sovereignty, and co-stewardship initiatives. She has had the privilege to be mentored by people that care deeply about their work. She hopes to follow in their footsteps by continuing to do work that focuses on decolonial thought, community power-building, and is rooted in love, mutual care, and respect. As a Midwest Climate Catalyst Fellow, Sofia joined the Midwest Environmental Justice Network (MWEJN) to support them in the areas of Communications, Data Compilation and Analysis and as an assistant for events and gatherings. This work gave Sofia the knowledge to develop her research project titled “How Money Moves the Environmental Justice Movement” to understand how the support of placed-based funding intermediaries impact Midwest environmental justice organizations and their alignment to the Jemez Principles of Democratic Organizing. Sofia is excited to continue her environmental justice career in the Midwest as she makes her way back to Minnesota. 

Tamanna is a climate justice advocate and researcher committed to bridging the gap between technical solutions and grassroots empowerment. With experience supporting grassroots communities in India and a background in programming, Tamanna leverages her interdisciplinary expertise to drive equitable energy solutions. She is passionate about ensuring clean energy access for those most impacted by environmental challenges. During her time with the Tishman Center, Tamanna implemented her Catalyst Fellow project supporting the Midwest Environmental Justice Coalition (MEJC), offering a research project to analyze the geo-distribution of energy transition technologies in environmental justice impacted communities in Michigan, by transforming abstract concerns about the energy transition into a quantitative, visually compelling evidence base.