This article is part of our Youth Voices series. At Ten Strands, we believe that young people have valuable perspectives and a critical role in shaping our society and our world. We recognize their power to drive dialogue and create positive change and are committed to providing a platform which amplifies their contributions. Today, you’ll meet Damon He, one of the inspiring youth leaders contributing to this important work.
Q: Briefly introduce yourself: Tell us a little bit about your background on who you are – grade level, where you go to school, geographical location, any diversity indicators (pronouns, race, ethnicity, etc.). You can include your major, interests, or anything else you’d like us to know!
A: I love the arts, I have been painting for years and I am involved in a lot of art related programs. My intended major will be cognitive science.
Q: Why are you interested in environmental and climate issues? And why did you want to pursue an internship with Ten Strands, an organization that focuses on environmental and climate action in TK-12 schools?
A: The data analytical side along with seeing climate actions in work at school districts I have heard of. It made me develop a great interest in Ten strands and their mission.
Q: What projects, programs, and services did your internship focus on with Ten Strands? Describe your experience and what stood out to you as you worked on different aspects of your internship.
A: I had a great time working on the project. My focus was providing the most accurate numbers as possible and making detailed analytical charts. The thing that stood out most to me is that there were WAY less environmental actions in schools than I expected.
Q: In what ways do you hope the work you did through your Ten Strands internship will make an impact?
A: I hope my data and patterns I found will one day be used to implement environmental works in schools that lack sustainability and environment.
Q: What skills did you learn or grow during the internship, and/or what did you learn about yourself during this internship?
A: Yes, It definitely helped me organize data, it helped me with storytelling too. I really learned how to look at data, analyze it and use it well.
Q: To what extent do you plan on pursuing something related to the environment in your college or career pathways?
I am really interested in pursuing cognitive science, a part of that major does involve data so I think it is definitely something that will benefit and help me.
Q: How do you see data as a meaningful and powerful tool in catalyzing environmental and climate action in schools? Reflect on how data, in your view, can support systemic change in TK–12 education.
Data is one of the most powerful tools out there. When it comes to environmental and climate actions in schools, it can find weakness, strength, and patterns to help schools improve their system.
