alumni spotlight
Danielle Sonobe, B.S. 2023
Graduating from UCLA in 2023, Danielle Sonobe became the first person in her family to receive a college degree. Shortly after, she was accepted into NASA's DEVELOP Spring 2024 Program, which leverages Earth observation data to tackle environmental challenges. Danielle's team assesses thermal stress impacts on coastal Hawaiian fishponds (loko i’a) using satellite observations — in collaboration with science advisors at NASA JPL, Hawaiian nonprofit Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuam, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Transferring from Las Positas College, Danielle earned a B.S. in Environmental Science, with a minor in Geospatial Information Systems & Technologies and concentration in Earth & Environmental Science at UCLA.
alumni spotlight
Ary Amaya, B.S. 2020
Meet Ary Amaya, a double Bruin who is spearheading Indigenous-led reforestation efforts in Los Angeles. Ary unites Indigenous students from LAUSD schools with environmentalists from the Anawakalmekak school to revitalize local ecosystems and reconnect Indigenous communities with their ancestral lands. Graduating from UCLA in 2020, she earned a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Conservation Biology. Ary is currently pursuing her Master's degree at the UCLA Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, where she is advised by Dr. Elsa Ordway, co-director of the Center for Tropical Research and Congo Basin Institute.
alumni spotlight
Francisca Martinez, B.S. 2017
Francisca became interested in Environmental Science when she learned about environmental (in)justice in disadvantaged communities. Communities of Color are disproportionately affected by environmental issues and she is compelled to be a representative for underrepresented populations. She will be working at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute with former state senator Fran Pavley. Fran has been working with the Schwarzenegger Institute to create an online handbook with a curated list of environmental laws that both protect the environment and support economic growth. Francisca will be assisting the Senator in implementing an outreach strategy to encourage other states to adapt similar policies. In the future, she hopes to continue being an advocate for the environment and her community with a public health or law degree.
alumni spotlight
Kristie Ashby, B.S. 2016
After graduating in 2016 with a concentration in conservation biology, Kristie Ashby now works as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyst with Evari GIS Consulting, Inc., a company that contracts locally and nationally to create, analyze and present mapping information. The company provides GIS services in support of stormwater, civil engineering, planning, transportation, and smart city, Internet of Things (IoT) projects. In the future, Kristie hopes to use her skills and experience for applications like urban design or landscape architecture. As an undergraduate, she said she valued the practicum and colloquium for connecting her with people doing work in the real world. She recommends that current students take advantage of internships and volunteer in a variety of settings to discover where their passions lie.
alumni spotlight
Kevin Tang, B.S. 2014
After graduating from UCLA, Kevin Tang spent two years in Cameroon with the Peace Corps. Then he got his master’s degree in public health. Now, he’s a researcher with Médecins Sans Frontières in Paris. His focus is on children malnutrition under the age of five. To help solve the problem? He draws on what he learned at IoES. In particular, the critical role of GIS spatial analysis for epidemiology. His advice to current students: take the world-class education UCLA provides and apply it in real situations.
alumni spotlight
David Mun, B.S. 2014
After graduating, David worked with the Soil Water Air Protection Enterprise as a Senior Environmental Analyst conducting data analysis and creating reports to provide scientific litigation support for lawyers. He is now studying corporate sustainability at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. Since coaching basketball in high school, he has observed the power of big brands with players and believes his shift into corporate sustainability will allow him to make a global environmental impact creating eco-friendly supply chains and branded products. He believes that current students should be open in exploring new activities, especially if they’re unsure of what sector within environmental science to pursue. “In the end, it will be [a] good team-building, collaborative, and leadership experience... It will always be worthwhile to throw yourself into different opportunities.”
