Stewards Magazine

After obtaining a dual undergraduate degree in environmental geoscience and viola performance from DePauw University, Xan Urso (MS ’21) took a job on a NASA-funded mission capturing high-resolution images of Mars and analyzing active landscape evolution.

Here they realized, “Mars is super cool, but I want to get back to Earth.”

This led Urso to The Nature Conservancy, where they worked on coastal wetland restoration alongside SEAS alum and Adjunct Associate Professor Doug Pearsall (MS ’90, PhD ’95).

“I was interested in the community engagement aspect of conservation efforts. Doug encouraged me to pursue a master’s degree, and SEAS seemed like a great fit.”

Finding themselves at SEAS during COVID, Urso specialized in Environmental Justice (EJ) and dug into supporting peers and reimagining the student experience, serving as a representative and then president of student government.

Now, as the environmental equity program specialist at the Foundation for California Community Colleges, Urso identifies where EJ fits into community impact programs and how students can be involved.

“I lead student ambassador programs where students are paid to learn about EJ and conduct community outreach and engagement, all while doing their coursework.”

Urso says working in higher education and supporting students has felt like a natural transition from their SEAS days.

“I aspire to create pathways for community college students not just to be trained in electric vehicle manufacturing, for example, but to be included in the knowledge economy, influence decision making and empower their communities while working towards a climate resilient future.”