Gavin Tesser

00:00
Hi Gavin, thank you so much for being here for another interview with our CYCP Changemakers. I would really appreciate if you could begin with introducing yourself with your name, pronouns, grade, school, and school district. Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm really happy to be here today. My name is Gavin Tesser. I use he/him pronouns and this fall I will be attending the University of Pennsylvania.

00:29
Thank you for sharing those details. It's great to have you here. To start things off, I'd love to get a sense of your background and kind of your roots. Can you describe your experience with the environment growing up?

00:41
Yeah, growing up, I've lived in a very small community in Calabasas that's located about 30 minutes from the ocean. So growing up, I've been constantly visiting the ocean with my family and friends. And I've also witnessed the plastic pollution that we've experienced, as well as the wildfires that come every few years. And those instances have motivated me to be part of the solution where I want to pursue a career helping reduce environmental damage.

01:19
Thanks for sharing. It's really interesting to hear how your early surroundings and growing up shaped your perspective into climate action. Kind of seeing how your foundation was built, what was kind of like the turning point for you that really inspired you and sparked you to dive deeper into climate action?

01:34
I would say the turning point were the Woolsey fires in 2019, where I had to evacuate and the fire came very close to my neighborhood, but fortunately our house did not burn down. But just being that close and witnessing so many families that experienced such loss, again, motivated me to work towards creating solutions to reduce environmental damage, which includes all aspects of environmental damage, not only wildfires.

02:10
Yeah, that passion makes a lot of sense, because I'm sure those, you know, natural disaster events are very scary. Kind of bringing that passion and drive you have for climate action into focus, what initially attracted you to join the California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program?

02:28
So I'm very interested in the intersection of environmental policy and just science in general. So I saw the California Youth Climate Policy Leadership Program as a great opportunity to begin just creating environmental policies at the local level, as well as I've noticed that my school district did not have any school board resolutions focused on environmental regulations or policies, so I saw this as a very good opportunity to kind of be the first in pioneering a school board resolution focused on sustainability, and I had a lot of ideas for resolutions such as composting and creating a youth-led climate action and resilience committee.

03:10
So I basically saw that there was a need for resolutions and CYCP really had that platform to educate youth on creating resolutions as well as connecting youth with mentors and advisors that could help really create the education that can be used to create these resolutions. Yeah, it sounds like you entered the program with a really clear purpose and knowledge of what the program had to offer.

03:42
I'd love to learn more about your experience in the CYCP leadership program and specifically how was the process of designing, implementing, and leading an advocacy campaign for you?

03:55
I would say that the CYCP program offered a lot of support and my advisor was very helpful from the beginning. And I first focused my resolution on composting, but realizing that that would kind of be harder to implement because it would require a lot of correspondence between a lot of different staff members in the district. I pivoted towards creating a climate action and resilience committee resolution.

04:25
And through CYCP, I was actually connected to other CYCP alumni and current leaders who were spearheading similar resolutions in their school district, and I was able to collaborate and kind of problem solve with them, which I found very inspiring and helpful. And although my resolution did not pass in the end, I would say that it was a great educational experience and very enlightening to how these resolutions get passed.

05:03
Yeah, for sure. And taking on a leadership role like that in your community is a huge accomplishment and undertaking. I know you mentioned that you had to pivot your campaign a little bit, but what were some of the challenges that came up during this process and how did you adjust to these challenges?

05:21
One of the challenges was some pushback from my school district because they believed that climate action was not in the school board's scope. So to kind of address that and help build support for my campaign, I created a survey that was distributed to the two high schools in my school district and collected a lot of responses kind of just supporting the need for this resolution in our school district.

05:52
So I would say that definitely helped with the pushback, as well as I was able to collaborate with some other youth leaders who were experiencing similar problems and help us problem solve. And yeah, I would say that I really worked to address the challenges I was experiencing, but eventually the pushback was very strong. So I kind of had to pivot my campaign and I kind of went to the state with a similar idea.

06:22
But yeah. Yeah, navigating those shifts is definitely very difficult, but it really shows how flexible you are as a changemaker and dedicated to making a change in your community. I know you mentioned that a final resolution was not able to be passed, but I would still like to ask, what was the impact of your advocacy campaign on your community and on yourself?

06:46
I would say that I definitely set the precedent for future youth to be involved in CYCP because moving forward, I think I kind of set the expectation that there should be climate resolutions in our school district. So if there were future pushes from youth to get resolutions passed, I believe the district would be more welcoming just with some of the research and the ideas that I presented to the district.

07:17
And I would say on myself, it just really taught me that there are so many different aspects of environmental policy, because previously, before CYCP, I wasn't really aware of the school board resolution process. So I would say that CYCP really opened my eyes to the different opportunities to get legislation passed to impact environmental sustainability in so many different spaces. Yeah, and even though you weren't able to meet your final goal, I think you made a huge change.

07:53
And I think setting the precedent is one of the biggest things a changemaker can do in their community. So that's really inspiring to hear. Broadening the lens a little bit with your experience reflecting on your time in the CYCP leadership program what were some standout experiences or opportunities that made the greatest impact on you?

08:12
I would say that as I previously mentioned one of the biggest standout experiences was being able to connect and meet outside CYCP meetings with some other CYCP alumni and youth leaders just to hear kind of their perspectives and how they were working through challenges because even though we were working in so many different parts of California we were experiencing similar challenges and we were able to kind of work together to create solutions and I found that having like youth leaders from CYCP working together really helps to create more innovative ideas.

08:51
So I really like that collaborative aspect. That's amazing that you're able to connect and collaborate with other CYCP members because I definitely think that the community CYCP brings in is just an incredible group of people. It's pretty clear that the program has left a lasting mark on you and you've certainly left your mark on the program as well with your accomplishments. I really think you are like embodying the leadership that CYCP really looks for.

09:19
So I really want to ask you, what does being a changemaker mean to you?

09:27
To me, I would say being a changemaker includes finding a need or a gap in your community or in society as a whole and working towards filling that gap. Regardless of the scale, I feel like really taking that initiative and working towards something is really what changemakers are meant to be to create a better society moving forward. Yeah, I think that definition really is the reason and purpose of this work, and I really agree with it.

10:01
For other students who look at your journey and want to follow in your footsteps, what advice would you offer to aspiring changemakers or students who are interested in joining the CYCP leadership program?

10:19
I would suggest students to definitely apply if they are interested, even if they are worried about the commitment issues or if they have any concerns about the program. I would say the program is a great opportunity for anyone interested in pursuing environmental policy moving forward, and there are just so many different aspects of the program that really serve as educational components, networking opportunities, and it's so much more than just like creating resolutions.

10:51
It's about really creating those connections and creating that education that really helps all leaders moving forward. Yeah, thank you for sharing that. I think your advice is really valuable for the next generation coming in. Looking back at your own journey and trajectory, in what ways did the CYCP leadership program contribute to your personal and professional growth?

11:14
I would say that CYCP kind of reaffirmed my interest in pursuing sustainability moving forward and also enlightened me again, as I previously mentioned, to the different aspects of environmental policies and how they can impact different spaces. And I would also say that moving forward, it's provided me with a network with our LinkedIn group and the various people that I've met who are working on sustainability now throughout the country as we're going to colleges all over the country and maybe even the world.

11:50
So I would say it's definitely provided like a network that we can all leverage moving forward. Yeah, that's wonderful to hear how those connections and lessons from CYCP have stuck with you. Finally, if you were to summarize your experience with the CYCP leadership program in just a few words, what would they be?

12:17
In just a few words I would summarize my CYCP experience as very enlightening and innovative yeah I think those words really wrap up your time in the program nicely but I want to emphasize that your journey clearly doesn't stop here looking ahead how will you continue serving as a changemaker Yeah, so a few years ago, I proposed the California Environmental Youth Advisory Council to the California Environmental Protection Agency.

12:46
And I am very excited to share that it was recently signed into a policy memo by California Secretary for Environmental Protection, Yana Garcia. So moving forward, that's one of my biggest projects as I want to help ensure that that council works forward to kind of uplift youth leaders around the state and help them influence environmental policies at the state level. Wow, that's an incredible accomplishment.

13:22
Congratulations. I think you have definitely a fantastic journey and path ahead of you. To close out our conversation today, looking at the big picture, do you plan to pursue environmentalism as a career?

13:39
Yes, at this point, I'm definitely interested in pursuing environmentalism as a career, as well as pursuing an environmental major in college. And just kind of exploring because I feel like there are so many different spaces where environmentalism is needed and there's not like a one size fits all. So I'm interested in exploring the different facets of environmentalism and finding that space where I can really make the biggest difference.

14:05
Yeah, that's very inspiring to see how you are dedicated to continuing this work throughout your lifetime. That closes out our conversation for today. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you again so much for having me. I really appreciate it.