This year, four College of Arts and Science students had the opportunity to participate in the 2026 Rachel Carson Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.
A national environmental organization envisioned by late marine biologist Rachel Carson, the Rachel Carson Council (RCC) promotes scientific concern for the environment and human health to build a more sustainable, just, and peaceful future. Advocacy Day, held each year during the last week of March, is a hands-on program that trains and mobilizes young people to engage directly with federal lawmakers on urgent environmental issues.
Over the course of three days, A&S students Yisong Liu, Adna Mutic, Chloe Whalen, and Ziheng Yan received training in environmental policy and civic engagement before meeting directly with more than three dozen Congress members and their staff to put their knowledge into action.
This immersive experience is part of a larger partnership between the Program in Climate and Environmental Studies and RCC. This partnership aims to provide students with the skills and knowledge to obtain careers in advocacy, environmental policy, and environmental justice.
Whalen, a junior double majoring in Earth and environmental sciences and climate and environmental studies, has always loved spending time outdoors. She prioritizes being a good steward of the natural world, so she was excited at the opportunity to advocate for the environment. She said many of her courses on environmental issues combined both the science behind the issues as well as the rationale for current policies and initiatives, making her confident in her discussions with legislators.
“This experience was one that I will take a lot of lessons from,” Whalen said. “This was my first time doing any sort of direct governmental lobbying, and it was quite interesting to see the thousands of people working on and around The Hill and the backdrop of how legislative decisions are being made. I learned about the importance of staffers and their role in legislative action, as well as gained a new appreciation for all levels of government and how even local advocacy can have a big impact. Having a bipartisan discourse with lawmakers is a tenant of advocacy, and it was a situation I felt ready to dive into based on my education thus far.”
Mutic, a sophomore also double majoring in Earth and environmental sciences and climate and environmental studies, said environmental advocacy is important to her because the environment is closely linked to human health and communities. She agreed with Whalen that her courses helped her prepare for the experience through the discussion of real-world environmental application and specific case studies.
“Through my interdisciplinary studies, I have become a scientist-in-training while considering people and policy, studying hard sciences like chemistry and geology as well as social sciences like anthropology and sociology,” Mutic said. “The experience really allowed me to immerse myself in what advocacy is like on Capitol Hill. Preparing key information and making asks of congressional staffers provided me with real-world experience on how to affect policymaking positively.”