Isa Merel

Isa has a passion for advancing environmental justice, building resilient communities, and reimagining systems to be less resource intensive. As the program associate for environmental sustainability at the Haas Center, she supports students in climate-related community-engaged learning, including coordinating summer fellowships through the Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area program.

Isa joined Stanford from Occidental College in Los Angeles, her alma mater, where she served as the inaugural assistant sustainability coordinator in the Office of Sustainability. Isa contributed to the college’s climate action and resilience plan, facilitated the opening of a student-run campus thrift store, and coordinated the first community olive harvest festival.  Isa pursued a BA in urban and environmental policy, exploring how policy can shape the relationship between people and their environments. Her senior thesis investigated whether decentralized community composting efforts in Los Angeles could be scaled to meet the goals of California’s short-lived climate pollutants bill. During her time as a student, Isa also collaborated with Earth Sessions, a project of Intersectional Environmentalist, to host a climate justice concert on Occidental’s campus, the first of its kind at a college or university. Her passion is to connect people with ideas and opportunities that move them to action on climate and environmental justice.

In her spare time, you can find Isa playing card and board games with friends, trying new restaurants, cooking, reading, or hiking. She’s also learning salsa dancing!