Meet Tenzin Sherpa, Climate and Society Class of 2024
Photo courtesy of Tenzing Sherpa
Tenzin Sherpa, the daughter of Nepalese immigrants, described her upbringing as “full of New York City skyscrapers and mountains towering over the Kathmandu Valley”. Food was an important way for her to connect with her own culture, and as she got older she also came to understand how food is connected to many other things – including climate change, globalization, social inequality and our relationship to the land.
Sherpa, who majored in environmental studies at Hamilton College and did a research internship at the Columbia Climate Institute, decided to apply Climate and Society Master’s Program.She will join the Class of 2024 this fall on a full scholarship Diamond Rock Toy Bird SororityShe hopes to continue exploring interests such as urban agriculture and the decolonization of global food systems. Learn more in the Q&A below.
Congratulations on getting Diamond Rock Toy Bird Sorority! How did you react when you heard the news? What does this award mean to you?
I was so happy when I got this news! I remember calling my parents immediately after reading the update on my application portal and hearing their cheers and laughter. Then I told my friends and they shared the same joy and pride in my achievement. Loved ones have played an integral role in finding support and inspiration throughout the application process, and I am so grateful that they have followed me through my academic journey so far. This kind of fellowship means the world to me because I am able to work and build relationships with the communities closest to home. It feels amazing to be home for a masters degree and to have the opportunity to positively impact the places and people that have shaped who I am and my passions.
Tell us about your background and how you got into the climate field.
I was born and raised in New York. My parents immigrated to the US from Nepal and I lived there for a while when I was very young. Growing up in cities most of my life has given me a unique perspective on the climate crisis and the climate justice movement that followed. My first memory of getting involved in the climate field is going to my first climate march in high school. Witnessing people from all walks of life march proved to me just how pervasive and urgent the scale and intensity of the climate crisis remains. Before that, I considered myself separate from my environment because I lived in a big city. Hearing my family’s stories and learning more about the climate crisis made me realize how pervasive “environmental” is. My upbringing was filled with the skyscrapers of New York and the mountains towering over the Kathmandu Valley, both places I feel very close to and hold dear. Understanding the trajectory of my life and the climate narrative helped me connect more with the climate justice movement and inspired me to major in environmental studies in college. It was there that I devoted myself to the academic and advocacy aspects of climate and environmental research. I also like the interdisciplinary nature of my major, which allows me to learn a wide range of science, social science and humanities. I found space in higher education to solidify my story and the knowledge of others, creating opportunities for climate education and community building. In fact, whether I realized it at the time or not, I was immersed in climate space. I just need tools and resources to clarify and build on my knowledge and experience.
Why did you decide to apply to the Climate and Society Program? What do you hope to gain from this program?
Before applying to the climate and society program, I took a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Before my final year at university, I studied at Columbia Climate School. In this project, I collaborated with different youth organizations in New York City to create and facilitate climate justice workshops. Over the summer at Columbia, I was able to combine my passions for climate education and justice in a way that made me more creative and practical. The Climate School REU was a major factor in my decision to apply for the master’s program. I wanted to join a program to continue the interdisciplinary education I had in my undergraduate education, and the Climate and Society program met all my needs. I’m also very interested in the internship component of the program, which will allow me to continue the collaborative and community-oriented work I want to do in the climate field.
While I am excited to continue my education, I am most excited about making new connections with my fellow students and professors; I look forward to returning to spaces where I can challenge my beliefs, broaden my horizons, and expand my knowledge.
Which courses are you most looking forward to and why?
what i look forward to most is Applications in climate and society and Human rights and the Anthropocene Electives. Both courses combine my passion for climate justice, recognizing that the relationship between humans and the environment is central to developing solutions to the climate crisis. Applications in climate and society will expose me to the various ways in which I can contribute to climate space while Human rights and the Anthropocene Allows me space to ask questions about past and current social and political institutions that have influenced change in a multitude of different fields and disciplines.
What role do you see your future playing in addressing the climate crisis?
I see my role in solving the climate crisis as one that is in flux and always part of a larger collective. In my opinion, the climate crisis cannot be effectively “solved” by one person, but requires the joint efforts of people all over the world. Now, I am passionate about urban agriculture and the decolonization of global food systems. I see myself currently working with grassroots efforts to localize food systems and Indigenous sovereignty. Food exists at the intersection of humans and the environment, and as such is an extremely relevant field worth addressing and exploring.
I’m not entirely sure how my role within the larger collective will change, but I hope to use the skills and knowledge I can bring to bear as I gain new experiences and meet new people. Overall, I see myself working first and foremost with communities who are disproportionately affected by the climate crisis, and working with them to create an environmental future that aligns with their vision of a just and equitable world.
what are you doing this summer
I graduated from college this past May, and I thought I’d use this summer as a time off to reflect on my college experience and how I’ve grown over the past four years.I also plan to continue my one-year senior thesis titled Our Community Gardens: An Analysis of Urban Agriculture and Environmental Justice in New York City By contacting organizations I work with and hopefully cut the paper down to a length more suitable for publication. I am incredibly proud of the work I have done for my dissertation, and I believe that unraveling local and global food systems is critical to creating equitable solutions to the climate crisis.
