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Home / Meet the 2020-2021 Eco-Reps!

Meet the 2020-2021 Eco-Reps!

Find your Eco-Rep by residence hall! This page will continue to be updated as more incoming Eco-Reps add their bios.

Bush Hall | Carmichael Hall | Carpenter House | Harleston Hall | Haskell Hall | Hill Hall | Hodgdon Hall | Houston Hall | Lewis Hall | Metcalf Hall | Miller Hall | Richardson House | Stratton Hall | Tilton Hall | West Hall | Wilson House | Wren Hall | Virtual Semester | Eco-Rep Coordinators | Staff Advisor

Bush Hall

Boy smiling standing in a cave

Oliver Welch is a sophomore from Santa Barbara, California majoring in environmental studies and economics. In his free time back home he enjoys surfing, scuba diving, and being outside experiencing nature. On campus, Oliver plays for the Tuft’s club volleyball team and plans to start a hawk-watching club in the fall.

Carmichael Hall

Nicole Verde is a sophomore from Miami, FL. Her passions include crispy tofu, dangly earrings, and highly caffeinated drinks. She is majoring in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Child Studies and Human Development and works at a preschool in Cambridge. Nicole can often be found in the Craft Center, in the Carm kitchen helping out the Tufts Food Rescue, or riding the Joey for fun.

Carpenter House

 Dani Coates is a junior from New Jersey majoring in Sociology and minoring in Studio Art. Dani has been a vegetarian since they were seven years old, and has always made a passionate commitment to protecting the earth and all of the life it holds. On campus, in addition to being an Eco-Rep, Dani does mental health advocacy with the student group Active Minds, writes with the creative writing club Parnassus, and they volunteer at the Craft Center! In their free time, you can likely find them doodling, making friendship bracelets, and creating an unreasonable volume of playlists on Spotify.

Harleston Hall

 Maya Sze is a second year student from Madison, New Jersey double majoring in Geology and Environmental Studies. She enjoys traveling to new places and learning about different environments and cultures (New Zealand is her favorite so far). In her free time she enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games. She is super excited to become an Eco-Rep and promote sustainability at Tufts!

Haskell Hall

Boy in Tufts University Sweater standing in the center of a corridor

 Sam Russo is a first-year from Randolph, NJ, who is likely majoring in Computer Science and Cognitive and Brain Sciences. He just completed a gap year in Israel, spent volunteering, interning, and learning. In his free time, he enjoys cooking projects (sweet potato ice cream and homemade ricotta, among others), reading, and badgering his friends with fun facts.

Hill Hall

 Miriam Shamash is a sophomore from Long Island who is double majoring in Computer Science and Engineering Psychology, as well as minoring in Political Science (depending on how much motivation she has left after quarantine). Growing up, Miriam would save all the stray animals by her house and extends her passion of caring for animals by spoiling her two rescue dogs. Miriam enjoys traveling to scuba dive, going to stores to smell all their candles, destress baking, and binge watching Netflix until it destroys her sleep schedule. 

Hodgdon Hall

 Joanna Kleszczewski is a junior from Waterbury, Connecticut. She studies biopsychology with a minor in Studio Art. In her free time she works in theater with 3Ps or volunteers teaching an ESL class to immigrants in the Medford area, and she enjoys spending time in the sun, sipping tea with her friends. She is excited to help as an active member of the sustainable community at Tufts!

Houston Hall

Kathryn Ezeoha is also the Eco-Rep for Houston Hall and the Spring Assistant Coordinator.  Kathryn's bio can be found here.

Lewis Hall

Elise Kaplan is a junior from Concord, Massachusetts majoring in biology and computer science. She is passionate about health and wellness and especially passionate about sustainable agriculture! Elise is happy to be part of the Eco-Reps team to help create a more eco-friendly campus environment!

Metcalf Hall

Hannah Bray is a sophomore originally from Austin, Texas who recently moved to Boston, Massachusetts. She plans to double major in Environmental Studies and Biology. In her free time she enjoys going on hikes with her dogs, reading, listening to live music, researching zero-waste alternatives, and climbing with friends. Hannah is so excited to spread her passion for sustainability with others on campus!

Miller Hall

Girl standing in front of a boat on a beach with cliffs in the background

 Ella Parekh is a junior from Montclair, New Jersey. She plans on double majoring in Psychology and Environmental Studies. Her love for the environment and sustainability stem from her close family friendship with Jane Goodall and her special connection to Tanzania (Ella’s mom’s birthplace!) Her favorite activities to do in her free time include solo traveling, hiking, and journaling. She is looking forward to collaborating with her fellow eco reps this semester.

Richardson House

Ava Dimond is a rising junior from Miami, Florida majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and minoring in Food Systems. In her free time she enjoys daydreaming about her future garden, practicing yoga, and thrift shopping with friends. On campus she's involved with Students for Justice in Palestine, Food Rescue, and is a Tisch Scholar. She's super excited to learn more about environmental justice with her fellow Eco-Reps!

Stratton Hall

Close-up of a girl smiling with a multi-colored sculptural head in the background

Lily Sandholm is a first-year student from Madison, Wisconsin planning to major in Applied Mathematics  and Environmental Studies. She loves sewing and hand-embroidery and hopes to spread awareness of sustainable fashion. This semester she looks forward to being a part of the Eco-Reps program, as well as volunteering at the Craft Center and being a member of the Filipino Student Union.

Tilton Hall

 Caroline Ding is a sophomore from Alfred, NY. She is currently undeclared but thinking of majoring in Chemistry and Environmental Studies. She is passionate about composting and super psyched to engage students politically with environmental issues! On campus, you can find her kicking it out with her taekwondo teammates and volunteering at Food Rescue. In her free time, she likes to (re)read Murakami novels, jam to EDM, or drink boba tea.

West Hall

Camille Ross is a sophomore from Orange County, California. She plans to major in Environmental Studies and is looking for a possible double major. She is a part of the swim team at Tufts and loves to spend as much time in the water as possible - be it a pool or the ocean. Camille's hobbies include reading, learning to cook new recipes, and spending time at the beach. She also LOVES thrifting, making her very interested in sustainable fashion as well as exploring ways to reduce waste. She is super excited to share ideas and learn more about protecting the planet as an Eco Rep this fall!

Wilson House

Dani Coates is also the Eco-Rep for Carpenter House. Dani's bio can be found here.

Wren Hall

 Sam Markowitz is a sophomore from Arlington Virginia, probably majoring in biology and environmental studies. In his free time he likes to bird watch, play frisbee, and go on long walks. He's especially passionate about finding ways to align human sustainability projects with habitat restoration for local flora and fauna. He's super excited to be an eco-rep!

Virtual Semester Students

Kathryn Ezeoha is also the Eco-Rep for Houston Hall and the Spring Assistant Coordinator. Kathryn's bio can be found here.

 

Coordinators

Taite Pierson

Eco-Reps Coordinator
Taite is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies (classic) and Psychology and double minoring in Drama and Dance. She is from Los Angeles and is a passionate vegetarian (even more classic). She is also proud to serve as president of Torn Ticket II, Tufts’ student musical theatre group. (She really likes musicals). She also enjoys NPR podcasts, decorating her planner, and looking at photos of dachshunds. She loves the Eco Rep program with her whole heart and would be thrilled to talk to you about sustainability at Tufts!

Jiyoon Chon

Assistant Coordinator- Special Projects
Jiyoon is a senior majoring in biology and environmental studies. She is from Seattle and her interest in environmental work stems from her connection with the Pacific Northwest. She is particularly interested in environmental justice issues, waste management, and environmental policy and is excited to share her passion as the campus coordinator for the Eco-Reps program. In her free time, she loves to bake, read, and practice yoga!

Sophie Impellitteri

Fall Assistant Coordinator

Sophie Impellitteri is a sophomore studying mechanical engineering. She grew up in Waterford, Connecticut and her family now lives in New Haven, Connecticut. She was a Tufts 1+4 in Nicaragua and loves traveling, especially in Latin America. On campus, she loves laying in the grass on the 3 warm days a year, dancing, reading, and walking around Boston. She's very excited to be an eco-rep this year!

Kathryn Ezeoha

Spring Assistant Coordinator

Hi, my name is Kat and I am a sophomore majoring in Applied Environmental Studies and minoring in Entrepreneurial Leadership. I’m from San Rafael, California. In addition to being an eco-rep assistant coordinator, I also do long and triple jump on the Tufts track & field team but grew up playing soccer my whole life. In my free time, I love going on hikes, listening to podcasts, and doing art projects. One of my goals that I’d like to continue as an assistant coordinator is to get rid of the stereotypes that people often associate with what an eco-friendly person resembles.

Staff Advisor

Tina Woolston

Director of the Tufts Office of Sustainability
Tina Tina has been working in the Tufts Office of Sustainability since 2007. She created the Eco-Ambassador program for staff and faculty in 2008, an Ex-college course on sustainability in action in 2009 and restarted the Eco-Rep program in 2010. She is thrilled to see the program continue to grow all these years later!