About Me

 

Hi there!

My name is Kat Raiano, and I’m an undergraduate at American University in Washington, DC majoring in environmental studies (environmental policy and science) and minoring in transcultural literature. In my home state-New Hampshire-my passion for environmental issues started from noticing how the ecosystem I grew up with had been shaped by industries like agriculture and granite production. Two of my favorite issues, Atlantic salmon and American chestnut restoration, are efforts to revive iconic New England species that have been decimated by negative human involvement.

As a student at the AU College of Arts and Sciences, I am learning about the structures and leadership that environmental protection necessitates through rigorous research projects and strategic thinking. I have furthered my interest in environmental policy by working with the Smithsonian gardens, the AU community garden, the Little Falls Watershed Alliance, and New Hampshire Fish and Game. I’ve completed projects on-campus such as the Edible Campus Initiative where two other students and I catalogued edible plants on the campus arboretum and made an educational ArcGIS map.

Aside from environmental advocacy, I engage in community activities like working in the AU community garden and the AU beekeeping society’s hive. In my free time I enjoy hiking, foraging, embroidering, and reading.