Chicago Conservation Students Talk Latino Conservation Week

This guest blog was written by Bri Ortiz, NRDC summer 2023 outreach intern.

Students are at the forefront of change in all areas, especially in conservation. For Latino Conservation Week, we wanted to speak with some of the changemakers who are actively studying and working in the movement. DePaul University’s environmental science students Jade Aponte and Elene Drosos sat down with NRDC to talk about their passion for conservation, the current state of the movement, and what Latino Conservation Week means to them.

Through Aponte and Drosos, we were able to hear from those who are most affected by the future of conservation and the environmental movement. A lack of early environmental education can create a separation between us and the environment when, in reality, we are all interconnected. Fortunately, early experiences with nature had a large impact on both Aponte and Drosos.

Our conversation touched on many different areas of conservation, notably that the environmental movement has historically lacked diversity. Both Aponte and Drosos agreed that this is one of the main changes that need to happen to build a more accessible movement and make greater strides in conservation and the environmental movement. When students see people who look like them in these spaces, they are more likely to feel empowered to join them. 

Aponte is finishing her Bachelor of Science at DePaul University. She is an active member of DePaul’s Environmental Science and Studies Department, working as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion board member. 

Drosos is currently in the second year of her environmental science master’s thesis at DePaul University, studying ground-level ozone’s effects on native plants and crop plants in the Chicago area. She got her B.S. in environmental science studying a partially restored urban forest for her thesis. She is a graduate research assistant for the university’s Department of Environmental Science and Studies as well as its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program coordinator.