Senior Project

Thanks to the creation of my major, I have realized how much the power of an idea can change individuals. Just from my remarks in the friend groups, my friends have become more aware. When I was excited about some results, those around me would become more aware and active in certain actions. As my major calls for action, my senior project will be the example of that action in a small, personal, process. This project will bring together all the areas of study that I have taken in one space. It will allow me to share the knowledge of private, liberal arts, education and make it available to everyone. 

Key Questions

How can the lead of one person influence the behavior of others?

How can I empower those who do not have tools?

How do different cultures respond to environmental context?

How can an individual contribute in promoting  education around sustainable practices?

The more I learned thanks to people at St Olaf and outside, the more I realized that were it not for these people and opportunities, I would not have been able to be this aware of Environmental Justice and the possibilities of introducing sustainability into management and economics. I wanted more young people to be aware of their power as an individual. To do this, I took a personal approach with those who are possibly thinking that they would love to do something but are not sure they can have an impact

 

The conversation I had with my friend just made me realize that all the work I did these years could lead to something important. My senior project consisted in building a brand as an opinion leader to educate young people about sustainability in Ukraine, especially where there is a void in knowledge. Something important to acknowledge that I am not an absolute expert in ALL the topics and I do realize my shortcomings. When I do not know something, I try to research it and to make sure I have multiple sides of a story in order to discuss it. Additionally, I wanted to show young people that you don’t have to be perfect in order to make small changes. 

“Building a brand as an opinion leader to educate young people about sustainability in Ukraine, because currently there is a void”

The process:

During fall semester, I did background research, took online courses, and prepared for the execution of my project. In the Spring, I have put all the knowledge acquired into practice and created two platforms where I was able to talk about sustainability and all the things I learned in my journey at St. Olaf. 

Below, you can visit the pages I created in the process:

t_sustainua

This Instagram blog is in Ukrainian and its goal is to close the gap in available information about ecology to the youth in Ukraine. 

Tanya Samiliv

My YouTube Channel is in English and this is mainly because I have tried to find a tool for self expression to share my experience. 

Results

Supporting Presentation

Moving forward

After graduation, I am planning on continuing to maintain the blogs and to post more educational content. I am extremely grateful to have been offered a job position with Yorth Group where I will be growing as a professional and as a person. I am excited about what comes next and am grateful for all that I have learned in the past four years at St. Olaf.