Ashley Laveriano '24

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Ashley Laveriano

Bridging Environmental Justice and Energy

Ashley Laveriano '24, an Environmental Studies major with from Newark, NJ, has made significant strides in sustainability and environmental justice during her time at Dartmouth. Her journey, marked by a passion for understanding people and their relationship with energy and climate, exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach fostered by the Irving Institute for Energy and Society and the Sustainability Office.

Ashley's involvement in sustainability at Dartmouth began during her freshman year when she volunteered for Earth Day through the Sustainability Office. This initial engagement "trickled in" to deeper collaborations with both the Sustainability Office and the Irving Institute. "I've been collaborating with the Sustainability Office and also with the Irving Institute, just to really learn and grow as a person, but also help first- and second-year students," Ashley explains.

Transformative Experiences

A standout experience for Ashley was leading the Appalachia Energy Immersion Trip during her junior year spring break. This joint endeavor between the Sustainability Office and the Irving Institute allowed Ashley to explore beyond New England and New Jersey, combining her interests in energy, climate, and environmental justice.

"I had originally applied as recommended by the Sustainability Office and thought it would be a great way to really combine my interest in energy and climate and what I had thought was a strong foundation in environmental justice, just simply through my lived experiences being in the city and dealing with environmental injustices," Ashley reflects. She co-led the trip with a fellow student who had a strong understanding of energy and economics, complementing Ashley's focus on people and how they shape the energy and climate landscape.

Ashley has also been an active participant in Irving Institute programs such as the Electricity Grids and Markets, which have expanded her knowledge of energy regulation and policy.

Academic Highlights

Ashley's coursework at Dartmouth has been instrumental in shaping her understanding of environmental justice and climate change. She highlights two courses as particularly impactful:

1. Anthropology 12.26, Environmental Justice: Ashley describes this course as "super instrumental in understanding principles of environmental justice and then doing case-by-case studies that I wouldn't have read about or been interested in."

2. Climate Extremes class with Professor Justin Mankin in the Geography Department: "He does a really good job at explaining the dimensions of disaster and then things that we oftentimes overlook when talking about climate change impacts," Ashley notes.

Looking to the Future

Ashley's Dartmouth experience has shaped her future career path in exciting ways. For the upcoming summer, she will be interning at NASA, working on a project regarding agricultural land use in the Amazon. Following this, she will be joining an engineering firm in Boston as an Environmental Specialist.

Her time at Dartmouth has also sparked a particular interest in urban applications of climate solutions. "I have a more profound interest after my time at Dartmouth in studying urban applications and climate issues with respect to the city," Ashley explains. She's particularly interested in how cities around the world, especially in the Northeast, are planning and preparing for challenges like sea level rise and electricity grid resilience.

Advice for Future Students

For incoming first-year students, Ashley emphasizes the importance of building relationships with faculty and staff. "I think students need to understand that they have pure autonomy in just inviting staff members for coffee or wanting to take a faculty to lunch," she advises. She encourages freshmen to connect early with key figures like Rachel Kent from the Sustainability Office and others to tap into available resources.