Before joining the MA program in the climate and society, Lina Maria Villegas has spent several years as a military and contractual linguist, learning an entirely new language and culture – an experience that aroused its curiosity for the world and the brought back to school for the geographic sciences of Maryland University.
Now Villegas is studying a different language – that of environmental policy and climate science. She is also vice-president of internal affairs of the student government of the Columbia climate and member of the initiative to engage student leadership. She is currently a research assistant on the NASA climate change research initiative, in collaboration with Cuny, helping to characterize the temperature of the urban land surface in New York. Find out more about the trip to the Villegas roundabout at climate school in Q&R below.
Tell us a bit about how you have been interested in the climate space.
In primary school, I remember talking about the auditorium of electricity and the little things whose consciousness, like leaving the light on in the room when you move away or turn off the water when you brush your teeth . I became the little environmentalist of our house – following everyone, turning off all the lights. Since then, I have been more and more aware in different ways of our actions have an impact on the world around us.
I started to transport a bottle of reusable water eight years ago. When I see friends and colleagues holding plastic water bottles, I would sometimes ask him if they planned to go to a reusable bottle of water – but no judgment, or making someone feel bad For their choices. Most of them would say no. And I would say: “Well, if you think about it, you use at least one bottle of water per day for x for the number of years. I have been doing this for eight years. Multiply this by a bottle of water a day, think about how much you could save if you were changing.
Do you think individual climate actions make a difference?
A podcast that I listened to some time ago talked about the debate between small and large actions, or personal actions and corporate entities, and do we really make a difference as individuals? He pleaded for both sides. What stuck to me the most was that our actions could be a drop of water, but water creates training effects. Me, transporting a bottle of water, having this conversation with friends and colleagues – I know a group of people who have made small changes because of this. He creates this large community of conscience. You don’t know how far it could reach.
What led you from this achievement to your climate studies?
For a long time, I did not know what I wanted to study. I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I lost the scholarship that I had and I didn’t want to go into debt. So I joined the army. I thought I would have a certain exhibition there to see what I want to continue in life. Or I would make my school pay, then win-win. I worked as a linguist for six years with the army, and another and a half year as an entrepreneur.
But I felt unhappy and dissatisfied. I decided to follow my passion for environmentalism. Originally, I went to the University of Maryland (UMD) for the environmental sciences, but I found that there was much more chemistry and mathematics that I did not want to do as ‘Return student. The geographic sciences, on the other hand, did not imply this and also had cards, which I always liked.
I had an invited speaker to UMD who was a former student of the Columbia Climate School. I heard about all the incredible things that school was doing, and I knew I wanted to be part of it.
How did your history and varied experiences shape your path to climate school?
The language I learned was Pachtu, which comes from Afghanistan. It is not widely used, so I have not been able to practice it a lot since then, but I like language, people, culture and experience I had. Learn to learn a brand new language and culture that I had never really watched to expand my horizons, and my love for learning and curiosity has really increased.
As the first cycle, I also had the opportunity to do a study abroad in Copenhagen. Class was climate change and Arctic ecosystems. We have learned how different ecosystems in the Arctic interact with each other, their status quo and how they are affected by climate change. Part of the course was also to learn to generate our own studies. We have to go to Greenland for two weeks. I never thought that a girl from Miami, Florida, would end up in Greenland during her lifetime. All this experience was wonderful, and I got out of work on the field so much that we did. The same summer, in 2022, visited my friend in France. It was the middle of this heat wave without air conditioner, then comparing this with Greenland, it really showed me how many changes happen in the world and how different the prepared regions are.
What do you hope to withdraw from the master’s degree in the climate and the company?
One of the things I have done at UMD is the strong disconnection between science and politics. Scientists discover these things here, and politicians make their decisions there. But there is not a lot of bridge between the two, or it is at best. I want to fill this space to help generate more green opportunities in the future. By learning that urban populations will increase to 70% by 2050 compared to the current 50%, I also think of the impact that more sustainable policies could have for people who move in these spaces and those who already exist in them.
In my first class at Climate School, we explained how “learning system architecture is the best way to affect change in this system”. I am delighted to learn everything about this, because it is not something to which I was exposed before. I am delighted to study investment and climatic policies with Lisa SachsAnd trying to look at the ‘wicked“Problems we face today and possible solutions. I also want to learn from other students with incredible history in the climate. I am a little starred by what everyone has been able to do in their life so far.
I think that, being in climate space, I need to have a positive perspective, or I could not continue to do it. My name is an forced optimist. I can’t just believe that we have already reached the limit and reached the tipping points and there is no return. I have to go ahead and see what I can do and how to help others do what they have to do.