Graduate Student Spotlight: Olivia Chandler

Olivia Chandler, a second-year MS student in the Environmental Humanities Program, is looking forward to reading books for pleasure when she graduates! In the meantime, she is immersed in the world-class education at the University of Utah, conducting a critical geography analysis that explores how resources and power move through environmental justice spaces and teaching Intro to Writing and Rhetoric.

Chandler moved to Salt Lake City from upstate New York to study at the U. “There are so many reasons I was drawn to Environmental Humanities. I love the interdisciplinary nature of the program, and its commitment to the values of environmental justice, Indigenous ecological knowledges, and community engagement,” says Chandler. “All environmental issues are social issues, and I truly believe that must be at the core of all academic work we do.”

She credits her advisor, Brett Clark, as well as program director Danielle Endres and faculty member Jeff Rose, with creating a supportive, challenging, and meaningful educational environment. Chandler says, “I have grown into myself as a scholar so much since starting this program. The rigor of the classes, combined with the support and collaboration with my peers and professors, has created a learning environment that challenges us to grow and explore.” Feeling empowered by the faculty to pursue various projects and interests has led Chandler to broaden her own definition of success in graduate school, and she has learned to value process as well as outcomes, deep relationships, and strong community ties.

Contributing to the community has become an important part of how Chandler conceives of her own academic success. Through the EH Program, Chandler has designed and taught community education courses at Tracy Aviary’s Nature Center at Pia Okwai. The classes, which were free and open to the public, were held during evenings and weekends to enable community members to participate, and attracted a vibrant network of learners. Reflecting on the experience, she says “It was so exciting to design courses around climate justice and environmental philosophy, with the goal of the project to make this knowledge more accessible and applicable to the community.”

Chandler also helped a student-led environmental justice group, UYES, by leading a workshop on op-ed writing. Leaning on her experience as an Intro to Writing and Rhetoric instructor, she was able to help the students develop “an additional tool in their activist toolbox.”

In addition to Chandler’s community-engaged work, she has participated in more traditional academic experiences as well. Says Chandler, “I was able to attend the Transnational Institute for Social Ecology (TRISE) conference in Athens last fall. I received wonderful engagement and feedback on my research, and made connections with scholars doing similar work across the globe. It was such a special experience to learn from renowned scholar-activists coming from vastly different contexts and experiences, all converging around common frameworks and goals.”

Chandler plans to pursue a doctorate after completing her master's in the Environmental Humanities Program. “I think the interdisciplinary nature and rigor of this program sets me up well to pursue both academia and careers outside it,” she says. “I have gained teaching experience across multiple fronts, further writing and communication skills, and a renewed commitment to making justice-oriented material change for our human and more-than-human communities.”