Education is an institutional right that can never be taken away once achieved. Historically in the US, education has been an indicator of systemic racism and oppression. While racism has been more overt in the past, like segregation, the education system today is still riddled with issues. Per the CNN article ‘Racial disparities persist in US schools, the study finds that ‘out of 1.6 million kids who attend schools with law enforcement officers but no counselors, a majority of these students are African American, Asian, and Latino. Additionally, these students are more likely than white students to have underprepared teachers and are more likely to be enrolled in schools that lack advanced courses…’. These findings have significant repercussions on people of color’s income and success later in life. As found in an Office Depot study, ‘Elementary School and Success’, there was a link between early school success and higher degrees in the future. In addition, participants who believed early school habits contributed to their success had a life satisfaction level higher than 65% of all respondents. Inequalities in education opportunities contribute to the disproportionately small number of people of color and women in leadership roles. Education is a critically important gateway to additional opportunities and equal access and opportunity for all is essential. As a Bangladeshi-American Muslim woman, I see a direct correlation between my education and success and understand the sacrifices that my family made along the way. Growing up my parents prioritized my education, with considerable time and expense spent on ensuring I was able to attend elementary, middle, and high schools with high levels of academic success based on national standards and a history of high scores on advanced placement (AP) tests. This came at a personal cost to my parents, especially as real estate agents during the 2008 recession and my younger brother to take care of. While I ended up spending more time on testing prep and studying than attending social or sports activities, getting into my top choice of UC Berkeley for my undergraduate school, working at Deloitte and now heading to Duke for my MBA has made my family and I’s hard work all worth it. From volunteering to improve literacy at at-risk elementary schools via the Sage Mentorship program at UC Berkeley, to working in the Deloitte Summer Buddy program to support UC Berkeley students with their Deloitte applications, I hope to continue to aid others in their education and career journeys and goals. I would never have been able to achieve my professional dreams without the support and sacrifices of mentors, family and friends and that has made all the difference.

Climate change is an unassuming phrase that nevertheless encapsulates the future of our natural world. Per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, should the global temperature average increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, there could be catastrophic consequences like ocean rise, widespread species extinction, and unlivable temperature in certain areas. Greenhouse gases are the largest driver of climate change. Lifestyle changes can reduce the size of an individual’s carbon footprint, or the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced. To reduce my carbon footprint, I have eliminated single-use plastic, use public transportation, eat meat sparingly, compost kitchen waste and shop clothing primarily second-hand. As I am renting an apartment, I am not able to install solar panels at my residence. This combination of lifestyle changes allows for the reduction of direct and indirect carbon emissions. Per the NRDC, the production of plastic generates greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire lifecycle. If plastic production continues at its current rate, the NRDC estimates ‘greenhouse gas emissions could reach 1.34 gigatons per year by 2030—equal to adding nearly 300 new coal-fired power plants’. To avoid supporting this cycle, I switched to plastic-free and plastic packaging-free kitchen, bath, and lifestyle products, like reusable grocery bags, glass kitchen containers, silicone zip locks, biodegradable floss and more. While recycling plastic is important, reducing the amount of plastic used to start with is essential, as recycling plastic also uses energy. In a similar vein, I switched from plastic clothes to secondhand clothes made of natural fibers, like cotton, and linen, as washing plastic-based clothes, like polyester, generates microplastics. As stated in the 2022 Bloomberg article ‘The Global Glut of Clothing Is an Environmental Crisis, ‘fashion accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide output’... and ‘a fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced globally each year’. Buying second-hand takes clothes out of the landfill and does not contribute to new fashion production. Per the EPA, transportation is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce my emissions, I do not own a car, and use a mix of public transportation or carpooling to get to a destination. In conjunction, after learning about the environmental impact of meat production, I now eat sustainably produced chicken or fish sparingly. Per the University of Michigan’s article ‘The Environmental Impact of Meat Consumption: Meatless Monday Can Do More Good Than You Think’, the production of meat generates a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and land required to produce the food. Lastly, on compost, I can compost my food waste per the composting system at my apartment. Per the University of Michigan's 2019 article ‘Trash to Treasure: The Incredible Benefits of Composting, composting reduces waste that would otherwise go to a landfill, creates fertilizer-rich soil, and when this soil is added to existing soil, it increases moisture content and reduces erosion. I use a small, indoor composting bin to collect organic waste and add this to the apartment composting bin which is collected by the city of Sacramento. Everyone has the power to combat climate change, and I look forward to expanding on my existing lifestyle changes as I continue to learn and grow in this space when I begin my sustainability-focused MBA at Duke in August of 2023.

Climate change is an unassuming phrase that nevertheless encapsulates the future of our natural world. Per the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, should the global temperature average increase by more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, there could be catastrophic consequences like ocean rise, widespread species extinction, and unlivable temperature in certain areas. Lifestyle changes like limiting the consumption of meat and installing solar panels on residences can reduce the size of an individual’s carbon footprint, but the widest impact can be achieved when this is combined with additional actions. Per the US Environmental Protection Agency, the majority of carbon emissions from the US originate from transportation, electric power, and industry; residential carbon emissions are the smallest factor in overall emissions. As a private consumer, I think in conjunction with lifestyle changes, the most impactful way to combat climate change is through the use of personal voice, specifically through purchasing power and voting choices. By consistently purchasing sustainable products at companies with proven sustainable practices, the consumer can be the impetus for sustainable change in the retail sector, as retailers respond to customer demands. Indicators of sustainability include no virgin plastic, carbon-neutral shipping, a recycle-positive lifecycle, and the listing of ethically sourced materials. As mentioned in the 2022 report Sustainability Disconnect between Consumers & Retail Executives by Wharton’s First Insight and the Baker Retailing Center, the noted increase in sustainability in the retail process and product occurred due to purchasing patterns of the consumer. Retailers made more sustainable changes once research showed that a company’s sustainable practices were a deciding factor in purchasing and that consumers are on average willing to pay more for sustainable products versus unsustainable products. Therefore, green purchasing power by the consumer can result in sustainable improvements to established supply chains and reduce carbon emissions as a result. It is important to ensure that sustainability claims are not greenwashed by checking if the company is B-Corp certified, fair trade certified, and if they provide evidence that products are ethically sourced. In terms of politics, the US federal and state governments are one of the largest transportation and electricity stakeholders and can implement industry change by passing bills and acts. Per Columbia’s article Federal Purchasing Power, the Green Economy and Sustainability Management, “the federal government owns 300,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles. Its non-personnel budget is about $650 billion a year. The buildings all require energy to operate, and the vehicles are routinely replaced”. Voting for sustainable federal and state acts and bills can directly support the reduction of direct and indirect carbon emissions in the transportation and energy production space. To reduce my carbon footprint, I have eliminated single-use plastic, use public transportation, eat meat sparingly, compost kitchen waste and shop clothing mostly second-hand. I also strive to fight climate change via sustainable purchasing decisions, supporting informed sustainable acts and policies and one step further through my education and career. Due to experiencing flash floods and increasingly extreme heat growing up in Arizona, I have always deeply believed in the negative effects of climate change and strived to contribute towards combating these effects. I studied Environmental Science at UC Berkeley to fully immerse myself in academia on the most pressing of climate issues facing the globe today. Now, after working in the sustainability space in government management consulting at Deloitte for 4 years, I am excited to pursue an MBA at Duke with a focus on corporate responsibility in August 2023, with the ambitious goal of transforming large established companies’ carbon footprints and supply chains to be carbon neutral.