Ten Strands continues to introduce its staff through statements of purpose that reveal the motivations and ambitions behind their work. Today, we hear from Devin Ngo, our sustainability data project specialist who shares his passion for empowering schools as catalysts for climate action and his belief in the power of education to build a more sustainable and equitable future.
I can trace the roots of my journey as an environmental professional back to middle school, where I served as the Safety and Ecology Commissioner as part of my school’s student council. In this role, I organized trash pickups during lunch, encouraged students to properly dispose of their waste, and created recycling challenges for classrooms. Looking back at this moment, it always feels like I was meant to follow my current path.
During my time at UC Santa Barbara, I was unsure which path to pursue, fluctuating between an English degree, fueled by my passion for reading and writing, and a Biology degree to fulfill medical school requirements. I eventually decided to pursue Biology but learned after the fall quarter of my second year that medical school was not what I wanted. That same quarter, right before finals, the Thomas Fire broke out in Santa Barbara, blanketing the entire community in smoke. Not only was the local area devastated, with ash flying everywhere, but the whole area was in a panic as freeways closed, stores sold out of N95 masks, and students were unsure if classes and finals would still take place. It was this moment that I reflected more on climate change and how its impacts can affect everyone, especially when it is least expected. I decided to switch my major to Environmental Studies because I saw an urgent need for more people to engage in climate action and devise solutions for a cleaner, healthier future for all communities.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I took a gap year and then resumed my studies at the Bren School at UC Santa Barbara, pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management. Here, I specialized in Energy and Climate, developing skills as an environmental professional that I carry today. It was also at Bren that I grew more passionate about having my work address environmental justice and uplift the voices of marginalized communities.
I took a course in Equity and the Environment, where I learned about the history of environmental justice. I also had the chance to take a field trip to Oxnard, where I listened to community groups discuss the history of environmental injustices in the area and the struggles they face today. Additionally, I was part of the Bren Environmental Justice Club, in which we discussed ways to incorporate environmental justice into our education and professional careers. One year, I served as an Outreach Coordinator for the club’s summit, for which we brought together panelists from activist groups, nonprofit organizations, and academic institutions to discuss topics ranging from food justice to Indigenous knowledge. It is from these experiences and conversations that I became inspired to always consider equity in the work I do. There are no true environmental solutions if the voices of marginalized groups are not heard.
After graduating from Bren, my journey into environmental literacy and education began when I worked at the Santa Clara County Office of Education as an Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Fellow. From this experience, I learned much about the education system and the current climate of environmental education implementation at schools. Half of my time was dedicated to working on facility-wide initiatives, including solid waste reduction, sustainable purchasing, and a solar project. The other half of my time was focused on environmental literacy efforts, including planning the Environmental Literacy Summit, which was one of the moments that sparked my interest in environmental education.
During this event, I was inspired by seeing students present on the work their clubs were doing to bring climate action to the forefront of their school’s culture. It was also impactful to see community groups and educators who were passionate about ensuring the next generation of students learn about environmental topics in the classroom. At the summit, I hosted a workshop on a climate justice activism lesson plan that teachers could use. It was impactful for me to see how one teacher discussed planning to use this activity in their classroom. In addition to the summit, I also worked on several initiatives that introduced me to Ten Strands and some of its team members. I helped work on the SCCYCI website and was introduced to the Data Initiative for Environmental and Climate Action in California’s TK–12 Schools, which I showed to school districts in Santa Clara County as a resource to assess their current actions and inspire future sustainability plans and goals.
One of my final conversations with someone at the Santa Clara County Office of Education near the end of my fellowship was about my career path and where I intended to go next. I told them I was keeping my options open but that if an opportunity arose in environmental education, I would be greatly interested in continuing to develop in this field. A few months later, the perfect opportunity arrived with an opening for the Sustainability Data Project Specialist role, and here I am today. It is incredibly exciting to be joining a team of passionate individuals who are all contributing to such impactful work. I am looking forward to learning from everyone’s experiences and growing in this field to help environmental education reach all students.
