Meet the 2021-22 Diana Liverman Scholars

Mira Kaibara is a sophomore with a major in Neuroscience and a minor in Environmental Studies. Her multicultural and Montessori background have given Mira an environmental and community-based sense of identity and responsibility since a very young age.

Amrita Khalsa is a junior at the University of Arizona majoring in Food Studies. Born, and raised in Tucson, she spent 3 years in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she completed an AAS in culinary arts with a specialization in pastry at Santa Fe Community College, while working at several restaurants. After Returning to Tucson, she started a home-based bakery supplying local restaurants and private clients with vegan cookies and other healthy treats.

Nadira Mitchell is a junior majoring in Natural Resources with an emphasis on Wildlife Conservation and Management and a minor in American Indian Studies. She is interested in the integration of Indigenous perspectives in wildlife, conservation science, and natural resources policy-who aspires to advocate for environmental equity in Indigenous communities.

Chi Nguyen is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science. She grew up in Hanoi, Vietnam, and experienced first-hand environmental issues such as air and water pollution which led to developing a passion for sustainability and solving climate change. The solution to climate change isn't just creating the best innovation, technology, or good science, but also raising people's awareness through communication and leadership.

Diego Palmisano is a freshman who is majoring in both Environmental Science and Veterinary Science. Often visiting his grandparents in Puerto Rico, Diego developed a love for the Earth and all things nature at a young age.

Kelly Rushford (she/her) is a second-year Environmental Science major with an emphasis in Communication, Leadership, and Sustainability and a Minor in Spanish.

Frances Slater is a senior majoring in Business Economics and minoring in Computer Science. She grew up skiing, mountain biking, and running in Northern Minnesota, as well as experiencing the increasingly extreme winters which quickly led her to develop a passion for protecting the environment.

Brenai Smith never knew immediately what her life path would look like growing up. She had a talent in the arts and even achieved a scholarship with the School Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but she couldn’t see herself having a career in it. So she joined the U.S. Air Force as an enlisted member for the benefits, namely education and independence. It was through this career in the military that she achieved an Associates in Applied Science: Entomology while simultaneously meeting other like-minded souls in the public health and environmental field.

Peyton Smith is a senior studying Environmental Studies with minors in Hydrology and Spanish, as well as a member of greek life and UAZDivest.

Ryan Thien is a sophomore majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Raised in a rural Washington farming community and inspired by his mother’s work in the agricultural fields of Arizona, Ryan developed an interest in the intersection of environmentalism, healthcare, and science.

Noah Weaver is currently a Sophomore at the University of Arizona.

Samantha Wetherell is a sophomore at the University of Arizona studying Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law for her BA and Environmental and Water Resource Economics for her BS.

Chris Zatarian is a junior studying Music at the Fred Fox School of Music, with a minor in Environmental Science.