Potlucks, Panels, and Plans for the Year

A big part of the EPM experience happens outside the classroom. Student organizations give first and second-years a chance to meet people across cohorts and connect with professionals in the environmental field. This year, the Student Diversity Committee, the Association of Environmental Professionals at UC Davis, and the EPM Social Committee are back with leaders who are excited about the year ahead.

EPM Student Diversity Committee

Mission: The EPM Student Diversity Committee (SDC) aspires to promote, support, and uplift diversity in the Environmental Policy & Management graduate student community. By sharing identities, perspectives, and lived experiences, students can create a welcoming atmosphere, ensure that future environmental professionals and academics are diversity leaders, rather than followers, and address environmental issues in a holistic manner.

Leadership: This year, SDC is led by co-chairs Lucia Rodriguez and Bijeta Lamichhane.

Lucia was born in Uruguay and grew up in Kentucky. She says she was drawn to SDC because where she grew up, there were few chances to join groups that celebrated other cultures for more than a couple of days a year. Seeing that opportunity in EPM made joining SDC exciting to her. Bijeta came back to SDC to keep building a sense of belonging in the program through events that celebrate different cultures, welcome diverse perspectives, and help everyone feel at home, no matter where they are from.

Both co-chairs named last year’s cultural potluck as a highlight, and it is returning this year. Bijeta was impressed by the effort students put into their dishes.

“Getting to eat a bunch of dishes from around the world is always great!” - Lucia Rodriguez

“Few things in life are as great as food put together with care and shared with people you appreciate.” - Bijeta Lamichhane

Lucia also enjoyed SDC’s community hours last year, which gave students unstructured time to socialize and catch up with friends after class. Bijeta is excited to work with the SDC team this year to host events that are diverse, fun, and welcoming. SDC already has a couple of events in mind and is open to suggestions from anyone with ideas!

To stay up to date on SDC events, students can check the EPM Slack channel or reach out to committee members with questions and ideas.

Association of Environmental Professionals

Mission: Association of Environmental Professionals (AEP) at UC Davis promotes direct student engagement with working professionals in environmental fields, as they prepare to transition from an academic to professional setting. AEP at UC Davis is designed to enhance the professional development of students by offering educational panels, career training workshops and networking opportunities that connect students to academics and working professionals from the public and private sector, and non-profits.

Leadership: Second-year EPM student Shine Hsiao is serving as the chapter’s President this year.

One of Shine’s main goals in joining AEP was to meet new people, and she has, from working professionals to classmates to students who came to AEP events. Last year, the chapter hosted an educational panel and a CEQA workshop with a guest speaker. One of Shine’s favorite moments came at the Spring Involvement Fair, when a student came by the AEP table to say hi after attending one of the chapter’s events.

“I hope to continue building upon my leadership, communication, and networking skills, while fostering a welcoming space for people to connect with each other.” - Shine Hsiao

This year, Shine is most excited to connect students with professionals from the AEP Superior California Chapter. The annual AEP Conference will be held in Santa Rosa in April 2027, with sessions on topics ranging from air quality and greenhouse gases to environmental justice and strategic resiliency planning.

Student membership in AEP is free and includes access to events and conferences from both AEP at UC Davis and the AEP Superior California Chapter. Membership details are on the AEP at UC Davis page, and upcoming events are posted on the EPM Slack channel and on Instagram at @aepatucdavis.

EPM Social Committee

Mission: The goal of the Social Committee (SC) is to foster a sense of community between EPM students, alumni, faculty, and staff. Socializing in an informal, off-campus setting is important for relationships to be built in the EPM community. Events SC hosts throughout each calendar year range from quarterly outdoor events, local happy hours, book club meet ups, fundraisers, game nights, and an end of the year celebration.

Leadership: Second-year EPM student Emeline Tu chairs the committee this year after leading last spring’s Legacy Night, the program’s annual celebration of EPM’s accomplishments.

Emeline is proud of how last year’s Legacy Night turned out. She says the planning process was long and laborious, but the team rallied to put on a great event, and guests embraced the “Seaside Soiree” theme. She is looking forward to seeing what this year’s Legacy Night chairs come up with.

One of the committee’s major priorities this year is helping the first- and second-year cohorts get to know each other.

“We spend so much time within our own cohorts, especially in the first year during core classes, but there isn’t as much built-in program time to bring cohorts together, so we’re hoping to create new opportunities for first- and second-years to bond outside academic settings.” - Emeline Tu

For Emeline, SC is also a fun way to practice teamwork and build community, and a good break from a busy grad school workload. She has enjoyed contributing to the EPM community through event planning and looks forward to the events SC will host this year.

To keep up with SC events, students, faculty, and staff can watch for announcements and flyers on Slack and by email.