HUMANS OF SECS: MALI VELASCO

We know it's been awhile, but today we're back with a brand new Humans of SECS! Today we'd like you to meet Mali Velasco, who is one of our Sustainable Business chairs for this year. Mali is a senior in NRES, with a concentration in Global Change and Landscape Dynamics, and a minor in Business. She is an NRES Ambassador, part of the Sigma Alpha Professional Agricultural Sorority, and the current president of Styrecycle. Mali also works in the medical entomology lab researching how climate change affects mosquito distribution and the spread of infectious diseases. This is her third year in SECS, and first as Sustainable Business co-chair!

"Growing up in Ecuador, a small tropical country that’s rich in biodiversity, I was exposed to environmental issues since I was kid. When I was a child I couldn’t understand why people wouldn’t stop throwing garbage on the streets and natural areas. Or why oil companies wouldn’t just stop drilling to avoid oil spills in the rainforest. These issues made me realize I wanted to spend my entire life protecting our natural resources from being polluted and exploited."

Photographs by Abbi Pstrzoch