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The Sustainability Leadership Awards were launched in the 2025 by the President's Commission on Sustainability to recognize and celebrate members of our Beach community who are leading the way toward a more just and ecologically vibrant world through their advocacy, activism, engagement, and research both on campus and off. 

The first group of awardees were selected to receive the Student Sustainability Leadership Award, which were presented at the 2025 Green Generation Showcase on April 17th. This group of remarkable students exemplify the diversity of approaches that exist for engaging others in the environmental and climate justice movement and leading by example towards more inclusive, creative, and representative solutions. Read on to learn about this year's awardees. 

Changemaker Award: Maredythe Cooper

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Major: Environmental Science and Policy, Geography Minor

Graduating: Fall 2025

Nominator: Terri Armstrong, Assistant Director of Black Resource Center, Office of Belonging and Inclusion

Maredythe Cooper was chosen to receive the top award for many reasons, including "her conscious leadership that centers the important intersection between race and sustainability." 

Summary of Leadership Accomplishments & Characteristics:

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1. Advocacy and Research: As a Project Intern at the SoCal Black Worker Hub/Long Beach Black Worker Center, Maredythe conducts research on Black workers in Southern California, focusing on environmental aspects in the workplace and the creation of resources for addressing hazards related to fires and air quality issues.
2. Empowerment and Representation: Pursuing a degree in Environmental Science and Policy with a minor in Geography, she actively participates in projects that raise awareness among her peers about diversity and equity issues within sustainability, applying a critical lens that links sustainability, environmental racism and unequal access to resources.
3. Leadership in Student Organizations: Maredythe is a member of Sisterfriends, a support network for Black/African American women students. She coordinated a workshop for Black Heritage Month, addressing the need for affordable haircare products.
4. Service-Oriented Leadership: Her leadership philosophy centers on service, demonstrated through her research on national parks and the removal of indigenous Americans, examining sustainability practices and historical injustices.
5. International Perspective and Experience: Studied abroad in Costa Rica, working with The Green Building Council of Costa Rica on the Zero Carbon Building Accelerator initiative, researching sustainable technologies and presenting findings to the World Resource Institute.
6. Empowerment and Advocacy: Maredythe leads by example, encouraging peers to consider sustainability beyond recycling and addressing systemic environmental issues in communities of color.

Her dedication to environmental justice and sustainability, combined with her leadership and advocacy efforts, make her a deserving recipient of the award. Read the full text of the nomination submitted on Maredythe's behalf.

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In her own words:

“As a young Black woman, it has been difficult for me to find my place within the green movement, until I found Environmental Justice. Through this lens I see myself so clearly, which is why I have committed myself to sharing this with my community. I believe that sustainability does not exist without Environmental Justice. Despite the current attacks against it, I am determined, as a leader, to further the conversation and make space for more people who look like me!”

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Honorary Award: Christian Garcia

Major: M.S. Geographic Information Science

Graduating: May 2025

Nominators: Emily Fitzpatrick, fellow student; Dr. Christine Whitcraft, Professor of Biology

Summary of Leadership Accomplishments & Characteristics:

• Completed a B.S. in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography at ��ɫ���� in 2021
• His dedicated volunteerism with Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards led to a position as a biologist for the organization Tidal Influence.
• Leads community-based restoration events and education about wetland ecology and history for Friends of Colorado Lagoon.
• Conducts regular surveys of the lagoon and prepares and delivers professional reports to the Friends of Colorado Lagoon and staff from the City of Long Beach.
• Supports ��ɫ���� service-learning courses by supervising students and educating them about vegetation and bird sampling techniques as well as wetland plant restoration techniques. 

Read the full text of the nomination submitted on Christian's behalf.

Feedback about his work with students:

"He is approachable, knowledgeable, and eager to inspire the next generation of ecologists."

"I can confidently say that the experience [working with Christian] was invaluable. He has advanced ��ɫ���� students' knowledge of restoration through service-learning and internship experiences, as well as promoting community involvement in wetland conservation."

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Honorary Award: Eric Bohay 

Major: Geography

Graduating: December 2025

Nominator: Jonathan Pando Ocon, Assistant Professor of Geography

Summary of Leadership Accomplishments & Characteristics:

• Demonstrated dedication to integrating Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) with modern geospatial analysis.
• Developed a project that analyzed climate conditions and remote sensing imagery to characterize environmental factors influencing the harvest of Eastern Sierra pine nuts, a significant traditional Indigenous food source.   
• Reached out to his tribal council to integrate historical harvest data with geospatial modeling.
• Sought to institutionalize his approach to interdisciplinary research by fostering collaboration between the American Indian Studies and Geography departments to create pathways for Indigenous-centered environmental research.
• Eric’s work supports adaptive management strategies that ensure the sustainability of this crucial food source and inform local decision-making among tribal members who depend on successful harvests for winter sustenance, reinforcing the role of ITEK in contemporary climate science.
• As a member of the ��ɫ���� Pow Wow planning committee, he played an instrumental role in organizing and executing the university’s largest cultural event, which centers Indigenous traditions and environmental values.

Read the full text of the nomination submitted on Eric's behalf.

In his own words:

"Not too many people from the Native American community are in the GIS workforce. It's important to me because with climate change you're seeing less and less natural plants and resources on native land. This [project] is something that is really cool for me to be a part of and could be definitely helpful for leading a way for other Native people to get involved in GIS and work on these types of projects."