APPLES Fellowship

The Accelerating Policy and Planning Leadership for Equity and Sustainability (APPLES) Fellowship is a partnership between the Office of Sustainability and the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning aimed at developing equity, justice, and sustainability-focused leaders from frontline communities that are most affected by climate change. The APPLES fellow receives a stipend, generous tuition scholarship for the M.S. Sustainability program, an internship with the Office of Sustainability, and programming to build leadership skills, develop networks, and enable socio-emotional learning.

The Fellowship focuses on building the capacity of frontline communities, those who experience the “first and worst” consequences of climate change, to prepare for, mitigate, and adapt to these impacts. The Fellow will work in partnership with OOS (and other departments as needed) to complete a research project or other deliverable targeting an identified sustainability, equity, and justice need on campus.

Students admitted to the M.S. Sustainability program can apply to join this program before matriculation.

Meet the APPLES Fellows

Kelsey Arrington-Podraza (she/her) is a first-year student in the MS in Sustainability program in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning. Originally from New Jersey, she spent most of her adult life in the Philadelphia area, where she completed her BS in Urban and Environmental Studies with a minor in Applied Community Sustainability at West Chester University. When she's not working, Kelsey works in climate justice as a program manager. She is also a RYT-200 yoga instructor who offers donation-based community classes. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dog, Birdie, intellectualizing reality tv with her friends, and starting (but not finishing) creative projects.

Ashanee Kottage is a writer, theatermaker, dancer, community builder, and thinker. She recently completed a Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship at her alma mater, Georgetown University, where she studied Science, Technology, and International Affairs with a minor in Theatre and Performance Studies.

Growing up in Sri Lanka has motivated Ashanee to pursue a sustainability education to help keep her home safe. In her own words: “A lot of Indigenous ways of living and taking care of the environment are still in place, but because it is a small island it is significantly under threat by climate change, sea level rise, and extreme heat.”

She is a collaborator on We Hear You – A Climate Archive, a project inspired by Greta Thundberg’s speech “Can you hear me” that amplifies the voice of 77 young people around the world through storytelling, workshops, and performance. Ashanee says, “It is so important to archive what is going on in this time and how we survived for future generations”.

As the first APPLES Fellow, she is excited to become a holistic sustainable leader. And as a self-published author who loves to inspire others to pursue climate action through the arts, Ashanee is hoping to share her expertise with other Jumbos this fall!