Andrea Cedillo

Through my undergraduate curriculum, I have gained a substantial amount of skills, one being environmental literacy. Growing up in an urban community, it was unusual to think about the environment. I grew up in a community where burning trash was common, where recycling was only done to earn easy money, and using single-use plastic was the norm. It was in my junior year of high school that I realized that those actions had been unjustifiable. In high school I took Marine Biology and was soon after encouraged to take AP Environmental Science. Around this time is when I changed paths; I decided to move out of my hometown and move 300 miles away.

 

 

CSU Monterey Bay has opened my eyes and mind on how the world could be, instead of what it currently is. I felt as if a door to a new world had just opened. People around me actually care about our home, the beaches were cleaned, styrofoam was unheard of, and people took care of their water. Whenever I visited home, I wanted to take what i experienced in Monterey and take it to the community where I grew up. It was difficult but doable. Many see me as the 'hippy' or 'tree hugger' but whatever name people call me does not matter as long as I am able to expose people of what I once did not know. 

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After graduating from CSU Monterey Bay, I have made it my personal mission to inspire people to create change. People see Monterey as an oasis, but little do people know that Monterey, CA is an environmental miracle. After the California Gold Rush, much of Monterey ecosystem was destroyed. Sea otters were thought to be extinct and the fishing industry was going downhill. It took a brave woman, Julia Platt, to restore this beautiful place. The otters came back and the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium was born. I use Monterey's story as a constant reminder that change can happen. And it will happen.