Meet our new SEJ Scholar: Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey
Sustainability and Environmental Justice (SEJ) has recently introduced a pilot role, the SEJ Scholar, which is a role held by a recent graduate who lives onsite in Garden House and supports SEJ-related programming on campus.
If you are not already aware of what SEJ is, it is a collective group for students, staff, and faculty that facilitates experiential learning through collaboration between Sustainable Reed, the Environmental Humanities Mellon Initiative, and Residence Life's new living-learning community at Garden House. This year's scholar is Esmé Kaplan-Kinsey, is a 2024 Reed College graduate in English/Creative Writing who focused on environmental studies throughout their education.
Esmé found community and creativity in various ways during their time at Reed and beyond. Outside of the classroom, they worked on the Reed Grounds Crew for several years. They also played in a folk punk band formed this past year and contributed to the Creative Review, balancing academic life with artistic expression. Their time on the Reed Grounds Crew significantly shaped their connection to the Pacific Northwest. “The Reed campus is not just a place that’s naturally beautiful—a lot of people have to put in crazy amounts of effort to make it happen.” Their experience on Grounds Crew gave them real insight into the work that goes on behind the scenes.
During Esmé’s junior year studying abroad in Barcelona, where they studied Spanish literature and feminist anthropology, they developed a new interest in literary theory, particularly its intersection with social justice, which they will now be exploring further as the SEJ scholar. “One of the really cool components of this job,” Esmé shared, “is that it’s clear a lot of effort is being made to help students like I was—those trying to connect academic learning to social and environmental justice.”
In their senior year, Esmé focused their thesis on the environmental strand of literary studies. They applied for the Watson Fellowship, a one-year grant dedicated to graduating college seniors with the purpose of independent exploration outside the United States, hoping to explore how stories shape environmental attitudes. This application process allowed them to develop the idea of how narrative framing can contribute to the fight for climate justice. Their thesis, a fiction collection exploring the relationship between humans and nature, expanded on this direction of study. The SEJ scholar position will allow them to explore their beliefs in the power of storytelling to change environmental narratives.
Fast forward to now—Esmé applied to be the SEJ scholar, drawn to the focus on bridging the gap between land and classroom learning. After completing the application process and two rounds of interviews, Esmé received the job offer during their drive back to California, marking the beginning of their role as an SEJ scholar. Now, they work closely with the Sustainability interns and contribute to the new SEJ program. Their responsibilities include organizing workshops like the SEJ Thesis Group, facilitating connections between curricular, co-curricular, and residential programming, and supporting hands-on opportunities through the different sustainability initiatives around campus, such as the Recycling Center, Swap Shop, and the Garden and Orchard. Whether meeting with EH and ES faculty or collaborating with garden stewards, Esmé's focus is on fostering a collective understanding of environmental issues that extends beyond the classroom.
Looking ahead, they are excited to see how the SEJ program will shape the campus. They are eager to integrate practical experience with academic study in order to create a more comprehensive understanding of environmental issues. Returning as a staff member has been a whirlwind of new opportunities and insights, they explained. Having witnessed many changes in campus life since the COVID-19 years, Esmé is eager to be part of a program that would have greatly benefited them as a student. The integration of both land and learning holds the key to a more sustainable future.
Keep an eye out for ways to get involved with SEJ at Reed, and shoot Esmé an email (esmekaplankinsey@reed.edu) if you’d like to learn more about the program or be added to the SEJ Newsletter!