Mika Lew, a senior studying Civil & Environmental Engineering, is one of the newest members of iSEE’s Engagement Illinois Climate Action Plan (iCAP) Team.
She has always been interested in sustainability, but her involvement began because she wanted to get more familiar with on-campus organizations. It was through CEE 340 (Energy and Global Environment) where she was initially introduced to the iCAP after hearing from guest speakers Morgan White and Meredith Moore. After that, she says, “things essentially fell into place.”
After getting involved with a number of philanthropy events that were centered on STEM outreach, Lew realized that community engagement was something that she really enjoyed since she ended up making a lot of friends and connections within the organization she was in. As a result, she decided to join the Engagement team in hopes of fostering relationships with like-minded individuals who believe in the importance of sustainability.
Lew has been very up to date with sustainability in terms of the technological aspect, but believes that she has been lacking in other realms. Working with the topical teams has helped her realize that there is so much to consider and she is grateful that she has been learning a lot. Her favorite aspect is simply listening to others speak about the topics that they are passionate about because it makes her more inspired to contribute to the iCAP or sustainability as a whole. Being introduced to new ideas simply excites her.
The fundamental goal that Lew has is to be actively involved with iCAP teams and understand her role as a student on the Engagement team. Since Fall 2022 was her first semester with the group, she was unfamiliar with a number of factors such as idea/project workflow and organization structure. Through this position, she hopes to propose suggestions to the team by collaborating with and seeking guidance from others to make the idea come to life.
Whenever she is not buried with work, Lew enjoys solving puzzles or watching food documentaries in her free time. Speaking of food, she considers herself to be a huge foodie. She loves to try out different cuisines and interesting combinations that may not seem as appealing at first glance.
Return to the Engagement iCAP team page >>>
— Article by Kratika Tandon, iSEE Communications Intern