Welcome to The Next Chapter! As we begin this new phase of My Climate Story, we wanted to introduce ourselves: the three student research interns who will be helping bring this project to life.
We are all undergraduate students at the University of Pennsylvania, and our shared interest in climate storytelling began in Dr. Bethany Wiggin’s English and Environmental Studies course, Sustainability & Utopianism. Through the course, we began thinking more deeply about climate change, the futures we imagine, and the role that storytelling can play in creating a more sustainable and just world. That experience ultimately led us to join the My Climate Story project, and we’re excited to continue exploring these questions together.
Meet Mary Zawalick
Hi! I’m Mary, a fourth year biochemistry major and English minor following the pre-medical track. I am originally from San Luis Obispo, California, where nature (beaches, hikes, national parks, etc.) were a huge part of my childhood. I am especially interested in the intersections between the climate crisis and healthcare, as well as looking at ways to effectively communicate climate science to a broad audience.
Meet Zey Oral
Hi! I’m Zey, a second year chemistry major on the pre-dental track. Although my studies are rooted in STEM, I’ve always loved nature, and my interest in climate activism grew through environmental volunteering in high school and, more recently, through Dr. Wiggin’s course.
I’m excited to be part of a project that brings together climate awareness, creativity, and personal experiences. My main role will focus on promoting visual climate storytelling, exploring how art can help communicate climate experiences and ideas. I’ll also be working on online marketing, website management, and developing the project’s creative direction.
I’m looking forward to finding new ways to tell climate stories and helping The Next Chapter grow.
Meet Nasira Seals
Hi! I’m Nasira, a second year International Relations major and Law & Society minor from Northern California. Watching the environment around me shift over time has encouraged me to reflect on the broader social and political consequences of climate change.
My primary academic interest has long been carceral justice, particularly the ways that laws, institutions, and systems of power shape people’s lives. Climate change does not affect everyone equally, and the systems that determine who has access to safety, resources, and opportunities also influence how people experience environmental change. For me, climate justice offers an opportunity to explore these connections and think about what a more equitable future could look like.
Through The Next Chapter, I’ll be serving as the blog editor, publishing student climate stories, including those from Mary, Zey, and me, as well as insights and perspectives from professionals working across the environmental sector.
What to Expect from The Next Chapter
Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing student stories about how climate change is affecting their lives today and how it is shaping their hopes, expectations, and plans for the future. These stories offer an opportunity to look beyond climate change as an abstract issue and consider how it is experienced personally, socially, and creatively.
New student stories will be published every ten days, giving readers the chance to encounter different perspectives on our changing world. The Next Chapter will also provide occasional updates about the Roadmap to a New Climate Story that we’re working on behind the scenes, starting in August 2026.
We’re excited to welcome you to The Next Chapter and hope you’ll follow along as we explore the stories, questions, and possibilities that emerge from our shared climate future.