American magazine, July 2016

must haves
1
9
10
8
11
2
4
7
12
3
5
6
*SIS/BA ’05, SIS/MA ’07, urban conservation director, Maryland/DC chapter, the Nature Conservancy
1. Plastic and Styrofoam are terrible
for the environment, so I carry a
small, reusable shopping bag and a
Tupperware container for leftovers.
If everyone made that small, easy
change, we could reduce our footprint.
2. I spent more than five years doing
environmental work in the Florida
Everglades. Sunglasses were a must.
3. I like to listen to music or an
audiobook on the Metro. Right now I’m
listening to The Marshmallow Test by
Walter Mischel.
4. American and Jamaican flags
honor my mixed racial and cultural
background.
5. I grew up in Kenya; going on safaris
as a child shaped my perspective
and inspired me to work on
environmental issues.
6. I keep a photo of my parents, sister,
brother-in-law, and niece. My family’s
black, white, and Asian—it’s a beautiful
picture of what America looks like.
It also reminds me of the sacrifices
made by others to help me get to this
point in my career.
7. I always carry breath mints and
deodorant—just in case.
8. I use my laptop to write reports and
emails, but I like to take notes by hand,
because I retain the information better.
9. I grew up playing soccer. So many
people around the world play the
game; it’s a great way to relate and
connect with people.
10. A cell phone charger is essential in
case my battery dies when I’m running
between meetings.
11. I split my time between the field
and the office, coordinating
strategy with partners and creating
presentations about everything from
the nexus between human health and
preserving nature to the economic
benefits of expanding the tree canopy
in urban areas.
12. Strength to Love by Martin Luther King
Jr. has been instrumental in guiding
me on this path, and The Art of War by
Sun Tzu reminds me that we always
need to have a strategy for any
endeavor we have in life.
48 AMERICAN MAGAZINE JULY 2016
Photographed at Kingman Island, DC