Environmental Justice Scholars
The Environmental Justice Scholars is a new initiative to provide students with opportunities to collaborate with community partners to act as stewards of environmental justice.
Generous funding from the Entergy Charitable Foundation will support the applied research and service learning projects of five promising students within Loyola University New Orleans’ acclaimed Environment program for a second academic year. As Environmental Justice Scholars, these five students will develop community engagement projects focused on improving environmental sustainability, resilience, and justice within the greater New Orleans area.
Katie Buc (ENVB ‘26) is a second-year student from Madison, Mississippi, where she spent weekends hiking the Natchez Trace Parkway nature trails developing a deeper appreciation for the environment. She will spend the next year studying sustainability and litter on campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Partnering with Mark Tobler, she will work to increase sustainability initiatives and reduce litter on campus through Keep Loyola Beautiful. She will also be working with the 50-year-old Loyola University Community Action Program (LUCAP) to coordinate community enhancement through beautification and restoration projects.
Together, Taiyah “Tai” Murphy (ENVH ‘24) a senior from Destrehan, Louisiana, and Jacqueline “Jackie” Mutter (ENVH ‘24), a senior from Grayslake, Illinois, will build upon research they began two years ago with Loyola Religious Studies professor, Dr. Anne Daniell, interviewing local artist-performers about their connections to healing, spirituality and the environment. Their goal is to continue to study and learn from these creatives, who describe their work as related to “healing” at the intersection of individuals, community, and the natural environment. Their research project explores the lives of people who are unequally affected by environmental injustices and how their resilient responses contribute to the healing in their communities.
Hilary Nguyen (ENVB ‘24), a senior from Mobile, Alabama, has gained experience working with underrepresented communities by volunteering with local non-profit organizations such as Glass Half Full NOLA, Recirculating Farms, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and more. Working as an Intern with Recirculating Farms, focused on food justice, Hilary will head up the new Food Forward program, a program that collects food from local restaurants and businesses and packages them up to give out to local communities. They will also be working on various outreach and community engagement programs with Recirculating Farms.
Elizabeth “Ellie” Redeman (ENVB ‘24) is a senior from Madison, Wisconsin, where she developed an appreciation for nature through gardening and working on sustainable organic farms, including spending a significant time as a WWOOFer (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) sharing in daily life with her host and learning about organic agriculture. She will spend the next year developing the community gardens on campus, working with Research Associate Mark Tobler and Iggy’s Cupboard to bring fresh produce to Loyola students, and coordinate volunteers to give students from all majors the opportunity to help make Loyola more sustainable.
Five students were awarded generous stipends based on their high level of academic promise and a demonstrated commitment to the three pillars of Environmental Studies: Justice, Resiliency, and Sustainability. Funding from the Entergy Charitable Foundation supported students for the 2022-23 academic year. This support facilitated expanded service learning and research projects across academic disciplines within the Environment Program. These service opportunities enabled students to develop linkages between the knowledge gained in the classroom and experiential learning gained in the community. Each Environmental Justice Scholar also performed a minimum 45 hours of community service per semester and participated in numerous educational, social, and cultural activities each month.
