Sierra Killian (BS '18)

Sierra’s intellectual character as an authentically interdisciplinary thinker complements her engagement with organizations, both public and nongovernmental, that seek to solve thorny environmental problems at nearly every level from local to international. In the San Juan Islands, she researched the risk of oil spills; in Chile, she helped create an observatory to encourage Chileans to hold their government responsible to its commitments to international climate agreements. In Washington, D.C., she brought her study of the law to bear in performing research for cases in the US Department of Justice. In addition to her work on federal issues at the DOJ ranging from Superfund sites to Clean Air Act violations, Sierra has done policy work with Stanford’s Center for Ocean Solutions and for the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. From detail-focused work like legal citation checking to long-term, independent projects, Sierra’s main goal is to make a difference. Closer to home, Sierra also does environmental work at the local level as a sustainable heating intern with Residential and Dining Enterprises. From her bilingualism to her GIS training, Sierra is a true interdisciplinary student with wide-ranging skills and social awareness to support her environmental passion. Equally at home studying constitutional law and using the geospatial software ArcMap, Sierra always finds a way to bring her studies to bear on environmental issues that matter to her community.