BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies (CHSS)
This degree provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge of three aspects of environmental and sustainability studies: people, prosperity, and planet.
Concentrations
Caitlin Powell, 2025
Hometown: Madisonville, TN
Plans after graduation: Powell plans to move to California and pursue employment in environmental policy and sustainability. She wants to build a career focused on green cities and renewable energy and meeting the needs and wants of the community.
Most impactful internship: Conservation internship for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “I did many things in this internship, but what I was most proud of was that I compiled a comprehensive database of Solar-Wildlife Best Management Practices (BMPs) from 18 state agencies.”
Trickle effect
Taking classes in the School of Integrative Studies opened Powell’s eyes to interdisciplinary connections. Her INTS 210: Sustainable World course with Associate Professor Susan Howard showed her how everyday actions—“like a bottle cap left outside—impacts the environment. Similarly, INTS 334: Environmental Justice with Associate Professor Michael Gilmore highlighted the relationship between environmental issues and social equity. “This class showed me how environmental harm often disproportionately affects marginalized communities, and how policy decisions can directly affect these outcomes,” she said. “This put names and faces to the people that are facing these injustices in real time, showing that while environmental justice issues have deep historical roots, they are also issues that communities continue to face today.”