Kaitlin is our College Outreach Intern this summer!
Kaitlin Baumgarten is a senior at Portland State University majoring in Environmental Studies with a focus on policy and management. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, accessing free public outdoor space nurtured Kaitlin’s interest in environmental advocacy and stewardship. She became more aware of socio-political issues through her education, and is now eager to go into public service as an environmental advocate at the intersection of human and non-human systems. She believes that if we can change how we interact with the Earth, we’ll create a ripple effect that supports justice movements everywhere.
This summer, Kaitlin is serving as our College Outreach intern, communicating with colleges and universities across the United States to promote civic engagement and climate advocacy. She hopes to learn and improve upon her skills in climate communication and engagement through her internship so she may more effectively get people involved in these issues later in her career. She is especially interested in motivating people through optimism instead of climate defeatism. Kaitlin also wants to learn how to build coalitions between diverse groups, especially minoritized groups. While she’s with CCL, she also hopes to gain more insight into how to work with(in) government systems to create policy that is effective, impactful, and realistic.
She is leveraging her varied previous experiences this summer to support CCL’s efforts to build a livable world. As a resident of a Moishe House, a nonprofit that engages young Jewish people, she helps create events for people of all denominations and identities to find community. Last year, she was the volunteer coordinator for the Student Sustainability Center on her campus, connecting volunteers to opportunities and events that engaged them. She has also worked as a trip leader for the university’s Outdoor Program for a couple of years - which is certainly coming in handy this summer as she’s hiking the Alps! Thankfully, Kaitlin really loves outdoor recreation, and especially backpacking, hiking, skiing, climbing, and stand-up paddleboarding. When she’s at home, she loves picnics and trying new vegan recipes, and especially loves spending her time sharing slow-roasted pu’er tea and chatting with friends.
Kaitlin’s love of the world around her and her work ethic is what motivates her climate advocacy. She sees this as a critical moment, but rather than viewing it as an existential crisis, she chooses to view it as an opportunity to improve the future for us and our fellow residents on this planet. We are so excited for the future she’ll help us build!