MESM 2027
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Rachel graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.S. in Environmental Studies (2022) and a concentration in ecology and conservation. As an undergraduate, she conducted independent field research in Costa Rica on the effects of human activity on hummingbird populations. This experience furthered her interest in how natural systems respond to anthropogenic impacts and how that understanding can inform large-scale conservation strategies.
After graduating, she worked at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District where she collected GIS data and supported land conservation projects including efforts to integrate wildlife crossings into regional planning. She has also led environmental education programs in the Rocky Mountains and San Francisco, developing curriculum through an equity-in-the-outdoors grant and organizing nature programming in partnership with the National Parks Service.
At the Bren school, Rachel is specializing in Conservation Planning and plans to dive deeper into applied ecology, habitat connectivity, and environmental policy. She is particularly driven by how science can be translated into real-world solutions that promote human-wildlife coexistence in the face of climate change.