IoES student Joanna Wheaton wins UCLA Alumni Association’s Distinguished Senior Award

The Distinguished Senior Awards present outstanding undergraduates with the opportunity to join the Alumni Scholars family. Applicants were asked to procure letters of recommendation, write a personal essay, complete a short questionnaire, explain what their weekly schedule entails, and meet a minimum GPA requirement. Joanna is one of a small group of winners selected for 2012-2013.  As a recipient of this honor she will receive a $2,000 scholarship.

Joanna is pursuing a Political Science major and Environmental Systems and Society, Urban Regional Studies, and Geographic Information Systems and Technology minors. Actively involved on campus, this Bruin holds leadership positions with two student groups. Joanna is co-president of E3, UCLA’s largest student environmental organization. She is in charge of the club’s Sustainable Youth program. Sustainable Youth’s purpose is to expose urban youth to local and global environmental issues and sustainable practices through hands-on experimentation and demonstration in the classroom. Joanna also serves as co-director of the Education for Sustainable Living Program (ESLP). ESLP is part of a statewide initiative centered on the education and promotion of sustainability. Joanna has been instrumental in making ESLP’s Speaker Series a success this year. 

Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Academic Director Cully Nordby described Joanna as enthusiastic, good-natured, bright, organized, and gracious. Nordy stated, “Joanna is driven to learn about the world and desires to be proactive and collaborative in efforts to make the world a better place. She is an excellent choice to represent UCLA and the university’s mission of integrated education, research, and civic engagement.”