Meet the PCJ in the Bay Fellows
This summer, Partnerships for Climate Justice in the Bay Area (PCJ in the Bay) is supporting 16 students working with climate and environmental justice organizations across the Bay Area, as far north as Richmond and as far south as San José. The students, ranging from first-year undergraduates to advanced PhD students, come from a broad range of academic disciplines with a desire to contribute meaningfully to local environmental justice projects.
Meet the 2026 PCJ in the Bay Fellows
Ashley Antonio
Valley Verde
Ashley Antonio is a freshman interested in pursuing political science on the pre-law track. She holds a strong dedication to community service and advocating for communities to become more self-reliant. Her experiences back home have shaped many of her academic and personal endeavors. Ashley views education as one of the most effective ways to empower the next generation of leaders—to lead with resiliency and collective action.
Amanda Campos
Communities for a Better Environment
Amanda Campos (she/her) is a senior studying environmental and energy policy and justice. Born in the iconic city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she moved to the 20-million-people, skyscrapers-filled São Paulo when she was three years old and then to South Florida when she was 13. She is a climate justice, immigrant rights, and Free Palestine activist. She’s either got her head in the clouds or her nose in a book. Amanda has worked at an environmental conservancy, the DOJ’s Environmental Enforcement Section, and the nonprofit Earthworks. She cannot wait to help advance environmental justice knowledge and help deliver wins for communities at Communities for a Better Environment.
Joelle Cheeseman
North Fair Oaks Community Alliance
Joelle Cheeseman is a freshman exploring electrical engineering and symbolic systems. She is passionate about addressing the climate crisis with community-focused engagement and accessible education. Joelle previously led youth STEM education initiatives for climate science and hands-on engineering programs and currently serves as a director of Golden Gate Science Olympiad, a non-profit organization providing STEM competitions for high school students. She helped found the Bay Area’s first Urban Schools Initiative for Science Olympiad, bringing accessible STEM education and mentorship to under-resourced schools. Joelle is an avid member of Stanford Society of Women Engineers, Engineers Without Borders, and the Public Interest Technology Lab, where she is focused on developing sustainable technologies supporting the needs of underrepresented communities. This summer, she is working with the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance (NFOCA) to improve unification, outreach, and communication with the North Fair Oaks community to respond to health, safety, and climate related emergencies.
Eliana Contreras
Rise South City
Eliana Contreras (they/them) is pursuing a BA in History and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and an MA in Earth Systems. They are passionate about environmental justice and sustainable food systems, and they value using interdisciplinary and community-based approaches to tackle these issues. This summer, they will be interning with Rise South City, a community-based organization that focuses on promoting zero waste, efficient and affordable housing, and improving public transportation.
*Fellowship sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Karen Contreras Cubas
Climate Resilient Communities
Karen Contreras Cubas (he/him) is a freshman majoring in Electrical Engineering and minoring in Political Science. He is motivated to use his education to fight against climate change and ensure climate justice for all. By helping work towards a future based in sustainable technologies and helping ensure that climate policies include the voices of the frontline communities who are usually the most affected yet also ignored. This summer, Karen will apply these principles through his work with Climate Resilient Communities (CRC), where he will focus on strengthening local resilience and dismantling climate injustice within the Bay Area. A central component of his mission involves empowering youth in vulnerable areas; by fostering a new generation of climate-educated leaders, he aims to provide them with the technical and political literacy necessary to influence future policy. Through this blend of engineering innovation and grassroots advocacy, Karen is committed to building a more equitable and sustainable world.
Hannah Dimock
Nuestra Casa
Hannah Dimock (she/her) is a rising junior majoring in biology with a focus on ecology and the environment. She is passionate about the intersection of climate justice, community-based resilience, and sustainable resource management, and is pursuing a minor in environmental justice through the Earth Systems program. This summer, Hannah is partnering with Nuestra Casa to support research and policy development advocacy initiatives serving Latinx residents in East Palo Alto and neighboring communities.
*Fellowship sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Aliyah Dunn-Salahuddin
Nuestra Casa
Aliyah Dunn-Salahuddin (she/her) is a PhD candidate of history at Stanford University and current Thomas D. Dee II Graduate Fellow with Stanford's Bill Lane Center for the American West. Her research examines the Black experience in Northern California through the intersection of environment, race, and urban infrastructures. Utilizing dance, film, and the performing arts in addition to her scholarship, Dunn-Salahuddin's work aims to make both the archive and history accessible to local communities. This summer she will support Nuestra Casa's initiatives related to climate justice in East Palo Alto by highlighting the shared environmental burdens marginalized communities in the Bay Area face through the development of curriculum, analysis of qualitative data, and field-based work.
*Fellowship sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Müge Gedik
OneShoreline
Müge Gedik (she/her) is a Ph.D. Candidate in Comparative Literature and a Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow (SIGF). She explores the capacities of narrative and how literature documents the shift from small-scale to industrial fishing, portrays islands as sites of ecological resilience, and envisions climate futures rooted in reciprocity and justice. Her fellowship with OneShoreline will focus on a community-centered oral history project to document how frontline communities along the shoreline experience the burdens of sea level rise and create an intergenerational repository of knowledge.
*Fellowship sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Mariko Hashimoto
Valley Verde
Mariko Hashimoto (she/they) is a graduate student studying Epidemiology and Clinical Research. She is passionate about food system sustainability, nutrition, and environmental health. With Valley Verde, she will be measuring the impacts of urban gardens and gardening education on the surrounding community.
Gabriella Ignacio
Acterra
Gabriella Ignacio is a junior majoring in Symbolic Systems and coterming in Education. She is interested in how education research can support early childhood students and educators from underserved communities. This summer, she will work with Acterra to develop and organize transportation initiatives for schools across the Bay Area.
Koto Imahori
Rise South City
Koto Imahori (she/her) is an M.S. student in Community Health and Prevention Research at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She earned her B.S. in Applied Psychology from New York University (NYU) in May 2025. She is interested in environmental justice, climate resilience, and the role of environmental conditions in shaping population health. At Rise South City, Koto supports projects related to air quality monitoring, urban tree canopy expansion, and community outreach in South San Francisco. She works on data collection, analysis, and communication, helping translate environmental information into accessible materials for community members. She is particularly interested in bridging research and practice to support locally driven climate resilience efforts.
*Fellowship sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Sukie Kevane
Communities for a Better Environment
Sukie Kevane (she/her) is a Stanford student completing a coterminal Master’s in Earth Systems, where her work focuses on environmental justice at the intersection of science, policy, and community power. Sukie’s experience spans research and advocacy, including work on sustainable agriculture and nitrogen cycling in the Soil & Environmental Biogeochemistry Lab, as well as policy and communications roles with Environmental Defense Fund and Public Citizen. In these roles, she has translated complex environmental issues into accessible, justice-oriented narratives. Grounded in hands-on work—from regenerative farming in California to community-based projects in Tanzania—Sukie is especially interested in how environmental harms intersect with inequities in policing, incarceration, and access to resources. She plans to pursue a career in human rights law, focusing on environmental and climate justice. Outside of academic and professional work, Sukie is involved in sketch comedy at Stanford, using humor as a tool for critique and connection.
John Ou
Climate Resilient Communities
John Ou is passionate about pursuing innovative climate solutions and working with people to address injustices within human environmental systems. Within Climate Resilient Communities, he will help communities navigate climate change threats through their Resilient Homes Program, identifying families with climate vulnerable homes, assisting with service application processes, and supporting physical home repairs.
Ruby Saldivar
Acterra
Ruby Saldivar (she/her) is a senior studying Design with a focus on sustainability and energy systems. This past summer she worked with Acterra, where she focused on energy equity, electrification, and community engagement. Committed to ensuring that the clean energy transition is accessible to all, Ruby works at the intersection of environmental advocacy and community empowerment, supporting efforts to help residents in underserved communities make the shift to clean, electric alternatives. Through her work with Acterra and her studies at Stanford, she continues to deepen her understanding of the policies, systems, and grassroots strategies needed to build a more just and sustainable energy future for all.
Abe Jonathan Selvas
Belle Haven Action
John (he/him) is a graduating senior originally from Grants Pass, OR. He strives to knock down barriers and provide ample opportunities for a more equitable world. An advocate for accessible higher education, immigrant rights, and environmental justice, he also loves staying physically active at the Stanford Sports & Rec facilities and classes!
Elena Vasilache
OneShoreline
Elena (she/her) is a Master of Liberal Arts student with an interest in data analysis to better understand environmental challenges. This summer, she will work with OneShoreline, contributing to projects connected to the Regional Climate Information System (RCIS) and grant writing. In this role, she will support efforts to organize, interpret, and communicate climate‑related data that help communities better understand local risks and resilience strategies. Elena is excited to combine her data analysis skills with her commitment to environmental problem‑solving as she begins exploring pathways at the intersection of data and climate adaptation.
*Fellowship sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Six of this year's fellowship positions are sponsored by the Center for Just Environmental Futures in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, as noted in the students' bios above.