From the president
Sami Gottsegen, a third-year student at Pitzer College, is passionate about addressing environmental issues with an interdisciplinary, community-based approach. She believes that prevailing environmental policies are based on extraction and human domination over nature, and strives to be part of shifting that paradigm. She has worked closely with community organizers, government officials, and academics to understand innovative alternatives to mainstream legislation, focusing on the Rights of Nature (RoN) — an instrument that provides ecosystems with representation in court. As a fellow at the Warehouse Workers Center, she conducted a community profile of the Inland Empire Region. With an environmental justice lens, she highlighted the disproportionate impacts of the logistics industry on low-income communities of color. As an intern at the California Department of Water Resources Office of the Tribal Policy Advisor, she carried out a research project that introduced the RoN to government officials unfamiliar with holistic approaches to environmental legislation. Building on that project, she published a paper based on law and public policy research that argued for the RoN as an effective ecocentric legal framework. As a leader, Sami engages in empathetic and transparent dialogue to foster collaboration between groups and introduce transformative ideas across disciplines.
Personal Statement
Growing up in Northern California, I personally experienced the existential threat of climate change and saw the necessity of simultaneous legislative and grassroots action. In high school, I led the Marin County chapter of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led environmental justice organization where I organized two events that combined civic engagement and community building for environmental justice — artists led sidewalk painting, activists shared their wisdom at an open mic, and the mayor spoke with members of our chapter. There, I also designed and distributed down-ballot “environmental justice voting guides.” I am energized by vibrant, community-centered spaces that facilitate concrete political action. For the first two years of college, I continued this work as the Political Action Lead at the Claremont Sunrise Club. I organized weekly letter-writing events to hold elected officials accountable and collaborated with other student leaders to push for divestment from fossil fuels. Through my position at the People’s Pitzer, I maintain partnerships with community organizations and am designing a project to ensure good governance by tracking local legislation. I believe accountability, discourse, and community-building are imperative elements of civic engagement and environmental protection. I amplify lived experiences and engage with diverse, innovative perspectives.