Olga Rukovets. Before joining the M. Now, Villegas is studying a different language—that of environmental policy and climate science. She also serves as vice president of internal affairs for the Columbia Climate student government and a member of Student Leadership Engagement Initiative.
Tell us a bit about how you became interested in the climate space. In elementary school, I remember talks in the auditorium about electricity and small things to be conscious of, like leaving the light on in the room when you walk away or turning the water off when you brush your teeth. I became the little environmentalist in our house—following everybody around, turning off all the lights.
I started carrying around a reusable water bottle eight years ago. Most of them would say no. Multiply that by a water bottle a day, think about how much you could save if you switched. A podcast I listened to a while ago talked about the debate between small and large actions, or personal actions and corporate entities, and do we actually make a difference as individuals?
It argued for both sides. What stuck with me the most was that our actions might be a drop of water, but water creates ripple effects. Me, carrying around a water bottle, having this conversation with friends and colleagues—I know a bunch of people who have made small changes because of that. It creates this large community of awareness. What led you from this realization to your studies in climate?
So I joined the military. I figured I would gain some exposure there to see what I want to pursue in life. Or I would get my school paid for, so win-win. I worked as a linguist for six years with the military, and another year and a half as a contractor. But I felt unhappy and unfulfilled. I decided to follow my passion for environmentalism. I originally went to the University of Maryland UMD for environmental science, but found that there was a lot more chemistry and math than I wanted to do as a returning student.
