About Us

Kaley Casenhiser is a third-year joint degree candidate at Yale School of the Environment (MEM) and Yale Divinity School (M.Div.). A scholar-activist, she specializes in ethics, political ecology, and the arts. Their work and activism counter-maps body-land relations and traces the interstices of environmental racism, sacred ecologies, and land sovereignty. Kaley practices critical participatory action research (CPAR) so their work originates with the lived experiences of communities most impacted by land loss and the climate crisis. She views the repertoire and archival materiality of the lives of those dispossessed by colonialism and racism as critical sources for environmental ethics, participatory action, climate resiliency.

Kaley also works as a performance artist where she explores how bodies and lands are shaped by memory and place in motion. Across each of these mediums, Kaley excavates gendered and raced geographies and epistemologies believing this multi-media work will deepen the capacity of all persons to witness one another and advocate for environmental, economic, and cultural justice in their home-places. 

Lily is a second-year Master of Environmental Science candidate at the Yale School of the Environment. They are conducting their thesis research on urban agriculture and carbon sequestration potential of soil on green roofs in New York City. Fillwalk also works with their advisor, Dr. Dorceta Ttaylor, in the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Sustainability Initative Laboratory. Prior to YSE, Fillwalk worked with the Robert Redford Conservancy of Southern California Sustainability on issues relating to sustainable agricultture, environmental justice, and food security. In their free time, Fillwalk knits, reads, hikes, and loves to cook.

Yi Ming is a third-year candidate for the Master of Architecture degree at Yale School of Architecture, with a focus on sustainable development, renewable energy transition, building decarbonization, housing and is more broadly interested in the role of governance in policymaking and policy implementation for environmental protection and climate change. She is currently working at the Yale Urban Design Workshop as well as the Regional Plan Association – developing and designing affordable housing, conducting research, and policymaking. Before Yale, she studied at the University of Waterloo in Canada and obtained her Bachelor of Architecture. Outside of work and studies, Yi Ming enjoys running, painting, relaxing with her cat, and catching up with friends and family.

Claire is a Master of Environmental Management Candidate interested in the connection between urban sustainability and environmental justice. She seeks to contribute to the discourse on housing and the environment through spatial analysis, urban planning and policy, and environmental justice frameworks. Claire earned her B.S. in Environmental Resource Management from Arizona State University and worked at the Arizona State Legislature prior to attending Yale. In their free time, Claire enjoys knitting, biking, and baking.

Mimi is a first-year Master of Environmental Management student at the Yale School of the Environment . She is interested in helping with the implementation of a circular economy, climate resilience, and environmental impacts on human health while in her free time, Mimi also enjoys paddle boarding, painting, and watching movies. At Yale, she hopes to pursue these interests further and will be working with the Yale Center for Environmental Justice as a Development Fellow. As an undergraduate, Mimi studied geography, government, and sustainability.

Joshua Kesling is a first-year Master of Environmental Management candidate, emphasizing ecosystem conservation throughout coastal and freshwater environments. Joshua’s undergraduate career afforded him the opportunity to investigate nearshore marine ecosystem management along the coastlines of Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. He explored the most effective protected area models for marine species habitat connectivity while accounting for ocean sprawl (i.e., the proliferation of structures) and industrial impacts impeding movement. He completed this research with Oregon State University’s College of Forestry and the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences.   

Writing about coastal resource extraction, the fate of imperiled wildlife in multiple-use environments, and those complex human-nature interactions captures his curiosity. This dynamic interface also allows for deeper exploration into socio-ecological systems undergoing rapid global change. Outside of academia, Joshua enjoys writing ecopoetry, hiking ancient forests, and exploring new villages throughout New England’s luxuriant hills.

Sofía is a Master of Environmental Science candidate at Yale School of the Environment (YSE). She has conducted research in Ecuador's Yasuní tropical forest, studying resource allocation patterns and herbivory in Duroia hirsuta trees. Before joining YSE she worked at the Botanical Garden of Quito in a project focused on the evaluation and restoration of the heritage trees of the city. She is fascinated by ecological interactions and sustainability and is passionate about communicating scientific knowledge through photography and writing. When not in the wild, Sofía loves dancing and painting.

Anjuri is a first-year Master of Forestry candidate at Yale School of the Environment (YSE). Anjuri grew up in a small town in the foothills of the Himalayas, where she fell in love with trees. She graduated with degrees in Economics and Psychology and is interested in sustainable biomass and forest restoration as well as the connection between wellness and the environment.