Maiya Roelen: Who are you as a leader, and what got you started? And then this could include your first leadership experiences, your spark moment, or who inspires you.

 

MacEva Wright: We'll start by giving a little anecdote of who I am. So you know me, and met me, as MacEva. I'm currently a second-year graduate student here at Duke. And before I got to Duke, I was a 5-year-old watching Steve Irwin in my house with my dad in Brooklyn, New York. Then later, as we moved to Atlanta, Georgia, this journey of the environment and conservation just kind of started in, like, a very romantic way, I should say. Being exposed to the world of conservation through television and through my dad's eyes, and his love for the environment. I grew up helping my dad with his farm and planting different cultural plants like collaloo and other plant species that are synonymous with the Caribbean. I learned about plant life and animal life through him and visiting my family's farm in Jamaica, watching Steve Irwin on TV, and thinking that I wanted to be a veterinarian.

 

For a really long time, I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, even as I was going to college or starting undergrad. When I got to college, I was going through the pre-vet track. I received an opportunity to go on a study abroad trip to Costa Rica. This was something that I never knew that I could experience before, in a way. I mean, when you're a freshman in college, you're still figuring everything out and figuring out all the available opportunities. So finding out that I could go on a study abroad as a freshman (I was the only freshman on that trip) was pretty cool! On that trip, we did tropical cloud forest ecology. Learning more about tropical climates in a space that was outside of the U.S., and has a lot of cultural ties to their land, was super cool and amazing! The whole time I was like, “Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this!” That kind of thrust me into the environmental and conservation world.

 

On that trip, I got to speak with naturalists in Monteverde, Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas region, so the mountains. Meeting with the locals who call themselves "Ticos", talking to them, and just learning all about the systematic work within this ecosystem, and how all the species within the ecosystem provide provisions to themselves, but also the people who live within it. It was this very intersected positive relationship and that was my introduction to it. After that beauty of a trip, I came back to my undergrad institution and thought, “Do I really want to be a vet?” You know, be woven into the environment in that way [through medicine]. After that trip, I didn't even feel like I was truly invested in being a vet, you know? I was like, “You know what? I think it's time to do a little 180 shift.” So, change d from pre-vet biology to general biology, and waited to see what I could do from there. 

 

After that shift, I luckily had the opportunity to join the Ronald E. McNair Scholars as a McNair Scholar during the tail end of my sophomore year into my junior year. I started on a research project on oysters, looking at oyster filtration and later, oyster condition. I did a condition index, which is a survey of adult health in a specific species based on its population’s habitat location. My project was based on Sapelo Island, Georgia, which is a barrier island. It's the Federal Reserve, and it has so much cultural wealth and historical wealth packed into that island because the descendants of some of the first freedmen in America lived there. They have a culturally rich history of also being Gullah/Geechee.

 

So I got to do this research project in this really unique place and got to interact with more locals and talk to more people. Each time that I did a new project and I met new people and got to be in the proximity of new cultures, it made me realize more and more that I wanted to be in a space, or a career, where I get to continue to talk to people, and learn about how they have this really unique symbiosis with their environment and with their land. 

 

I just continued down that path, and after I graduated, I worked as a rare species research assistant with Grand Canyon National Park. It was really fun! I did that through the National Park Service, but also through an organization called Environment for the Americas. Within that organization, there's a sub-organization called the Latino Heritage internship program. I'm not only a Black woman, but I'm also Afro-Latina. So having that opportunity through my identity was a really cool thing, and getting to work for Grand Canyon National Park on Monarch butterflies was the coolest thing ever.

 

I did a bunch of tagging and monitoring work on the southwest Monarch populations and tracking their migration. Most of the research about the Monarch butterfly migration is specific to the East Coast. There's not a lot of research out there in terms of the West Coast population, so contributing to that was really fun and wholesome. Doing work with that, while also interacting with the Indigenous communities, it was really phenomenal. It was a really phenomenal experience. I met so many amazing people that I don't think I would have ever met and learned from if I hadn't had that experience. 

 

All these different experiences just kind of culminated in where I'm at now, which is at Duke University. I'm studying coastal marine systems, as well as community engagement and environmental justice. I'm really passionate about what I'm studying, especially when it comes to the community engagement aspect and advocating for different communities through science. I would say all these different people that I've interacted with in my life, including my parents, especially my dad, definitely inspired what I want to do, and how I've come to do it. 

 

Maiya Roelen: Have you faced challenges, obstacles, or doubts in your journey that you're comfortable sharing, and how did you overcome them?

 

MacEva Wright: I think one of the biggest challenges or obstacles that I’ve experienced thus far moving through life as a self-proclaimed environmentalist has definitely been imposter syndrome. I am existing, as well as other people of color who are and want to be environmentalists or conservationists, or whatever term you want to use. We exist in a very male-centric, white-centric space. Because we exist in a space such as that, I think imposter syndrome is an unfortunate facet of the environment. No pun intended. There were quite a few times when I had asked myself, “Am I built for this work? Am I deserving of being in this space? And it wasn't in a way that I didn't think that I was not deserving or anything. Of course I I think I am so deserving of every opportunity that I'm able to come across and experience. However, I just didn't know if people would take what I do seriously based on who I am and how I experience the world as a person, you know?

 

When it came to working for the Grand Canyon within the lens of the Latino Heritage Internship Program, I was very nervous about people's perception of me as an Afro-Latina, and understanding that you can be multiple things at once. The term Afro-Latina has not really been in society for a long time. I won't go into the weeds of it. I just didn't think, because of the way I looked, I didn't think that anyone would believe me for who I am and what my identity is. Of course, on top of that, I very strongly identify as a Black woman. Being a Black woman in a predominantly white space can be a little bit jarring. And again, I want to say this not because I can't do these things, because I very much am capable of doing these things, but when there are so few of you in the field, you have to be your own visionary. As I've gotten more into this field, I’ve been able to actualize and meet some of the amazing visionaries and trendsetters throughout environmental work. Dr. Jalone White-Newsome, who worked for the Biden administration, speaking with Jasmine Graham, whom I did one of my RCC stories on…that has been really cool and really amazing. Meeting these women and meeting other people within the diaspora, within the community, and definitely within the community of being people of color as a whole, has really inspired me to just continue to push forward and do what I'm doing without any apologies. 

 

I'm really proud of who I am in this space, especially because I can offer a unique experience and a unique perspective that some people might not be able to, you know? Thank you.

 

I haven't figured out all the answers yet. I'm still going through this journey. There are days when I still experience imposter syndrome and the repercussions of that. There are days when I'm still shy about the work that I'm putting out, and how I'm putting it out, and how people perceive it, you know? I'm still figuring things out, and I think I'm always going to be on this journey. 

 

Maiya Roelen: What is your roadmap for other youth looking to be leaders, and what steps did you take to get where you are now? What kind of advice might you offer from your own experience?

 

MacEva Wright: The first step to get where I am now, especially when you face obstacles like imposter syndrome, and you’re unsure about what it is that you're doing, is self-advocacy and speaking up for yourself. Knowing what you're experiencing and communicating that to any systems of support that you have in your life is monumental. The reason why I say that is because, in terms of myself, I am a very independent, very hyper-resilient person.

 

I feel like I have a hard time confiding in others about what's going on. Not because I don't want to, but it's more like I don't want to impose what I'm going through to other people or remove whatever it is that they're going through with my issues, if that makes sense. That really isn't the case; we are all human, and we all need someone to confide in and listen to us, especially about whatever we're facing and how to overcome it. Having the wherewithal to self-advocate for yourself is very important.

 

The next step is choosing what to do. After you have navigated that self-advocacy and you have identified your support system, it's what you do with that advice that matters. I feel like that sounds very bootstrappy. I don't mean it to sound that way, but it's kind of like how everyone has free will, you know? It’s what you do with that free will to continue to move forward. Of course, if there are more systems of support that you need. Communicate that, you know, find those resources. Don't just let all of what it is that you're going through kind of cave in on you, if that makes any sense at all.

 

In the past, I have definitely struggled with keeping everything that I'm going through within myself and not talking to anyone. That can really blow up in your face, you know? I had to learn how to talk to others, had to learn to talk to faculty and staff who have been in positions of support. Also, confiding in my peers and understanding that some of the issues that I'm experiencing are not solely on me. I'm not the only person in the world experiencing this, you know?

 

Maiya Roelen: Tell us about your current platform, initiatives, community projects, successes, jobs, and impact. We would love to hear about your current work! Where do you want to go from here?

 

MacEva Wright: Here at Duke, we have this fellowship program called Standbacks. It is an internship opportunity provided by Duke and the Stanback family. Graduate students here, and undergraduates, from not only my school, which is the Nicholas School, but also other schools, such as Sanford, the law school, the undergraduate student bodies…Duke offers a unique opportunity for graduate students and undergraduates with different internship opportunities at different schools on campus.

 

I went through that process and applied to different Standback opportunities that were offered through that platform. I got connected with Bob and the rest of the RCC team. I just decided to work with them. I felt as though RCC was the best fit for me, especially because one of the things that stood out to me about RCC was their emphasis on environmental advocacy and environmental communication. From my interview with Bob, the connection of the team, and the placement of RCC, in DC…I was super excited about that. It was a really good fit for me.

 

As I entered my fellowship with them, as Presidential Standback, I got to go to DC, and immediately kind of hit the ground running, working on and learning about environmental advocacy, environmental politics. How can we use our written skills and honest assumptions to advocate for what we believe is right, especially when it comes to justice and the work of community building? Throughout my time as Presidential Standback, I wrote op-eds, letters to the editors, blog posts, and worked heavily on the RCC newsletter.

 

Most of their newsletter materials, action alerts, especially their ocean observer…I work heavily on producing various current events happening within our oceans and then providing that to our subscribers and our readers. So that's been really fun and cool to just continue and work on. It definitely helps me grow in my communication skills, especially communicating science policy and news. 

 

Oh, and I would be remiss if I did not talk about one of the other opportunities that RCC has led everyone involved with the organization to do, which is advocacy and lobbying. As a Stanback Fellow, I had the opportunity of working closely on lobbying for a specific bill that was introduced within the timeline of 2024 to 2025. I lobbied for H.R. 2971, which is the Young Act that was introduced in 2025 by Representative Yaasmin Ansari. She's from Arizona, and she introduced this bill as a way to highlight STEM-based education to youth in coastal communities. That was really fun, and it really connected some of the things that I'm really passionate about, which is scientific literacy and science education, especially within communities, in this case, coastal communities. I really enjoyed doing that. It really got me dipping my toes in the water of science policy, and how to be an efficient storyteller, and how to be an efficient communicator in that aspect. I'm continuing to do all of this as a NELF fellow as well. I might not be directly lobbying right now, but I'm still working on the newsletters. I'm writing when I can.

 

I am also serving in different leadership roles at Duke. Like last year, I worked as an organizer for the Geoscience Alliance Conference. Last year was a crazy time online because, not only was I actively doing that, but I was also enrolled in the Environmental Law Clinic with the supervising attorneys and the law students on different cases, which is a unique opportunity for students at the Nicholas School. So I was working on a full caseload, while also organizing this conference

It was really crazy, but also really fun and cool and really opened me up to different perspectives, and I met so many amazing, cool individuals…scientists, researchers, practitioners of the environmental field, while also highlighting Indigenous stories, Indigenous perspectives, Indigenous values, traditional knowledge, etc. That was all within the Geoscience Alliance Conference, and I worked with my professor, Dr. Ryan Emanuel. Currently, I'm continuing overall work with the same professor as the course assistant for my specific concentration.

 

Maiya Roelen: How do you care for yourself while also pursuing the activities that you are passionate about?

 

MacEva Wright: I think that's really important to kind of understand that you can't do this work without caring for yourself because the work that we are doing, and that we want to do, can be very, very emotionally and mentally heavy, especially if you work hands-on with communities. How I would describe care for myself would definitely be understanding my limits in the sense that having awareness of knowing what I can and can't do. Like, I am not Captain Save the World. So having the wherewithal to know that, like, I can only do so much as I am physically and mentally capable of doing. Not understanding and having that discernment of what you can fully take on. I would describe myself as the type of person who wants to do everything. I want to help everyone. I want to be able to be available in every capacity, whether it be specific projects that I'm working on, whether it be within, like, my own research work, you know? 

 

I've had to grow to understand that there are just some things that I have to say no to. There are some things that I cannot fully provide a solution to. Especially if all the resources aren't there, or just maybe they are there, but not available to me. Also, understanding that, especially in community work, your solutions may not be the best for the community. Listening to them and giving the community a platform to discuss what it is that they want to prioritize for the moment. I think that has really helped aid in my understanding of my emotional well-being when it comes to doing this work. It's okay to say no. It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to just take some time for yourself and be honest and upfront about that.

 

I think that's some of the things that I do to help mitigate everything going on. I know it's easier said than done, but maybe give it a try. 

Maiya Roelen: Thank you so much, MacEva!​

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