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Senegal is poised for economic boom — if residents can survive the pollution
A West African nation verging on an economic boom, but with progress comes pollution and its impacts on Senegal's more remote populations. Keep reading
Alexia Nastasia
Boston University
ContributorI’m Alexia Nastasia (she/her), I am from a family of first generation immigrants from Romania in Eastern Europe to the United States, and my family currently resides in the Saint Louis metropolitan area which is situated at the intersection of Missouri and Illinois and at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.
In Saint Louis, I earned the International Baccalaureate diploma as well as the Seal of Biliteracy for Romanian, French, and Spanish, and I was an apprentice for the Teens Make History program of the Missouri Historical Society for over three years as well as a summer intern for the United Way through the Bank of America Student Leaders Program in 2022. During the 2022-23 school year, I took a gap year to live and learn in Dakar, Senegal as a participant in the U.S. Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad Program.
At Boston University, I’m a Kilachand Honors College Student pursuing a double major in International Studies and Sociocultural Anthropology as well as two minors in Urban Studies and Philosophy. I work as an Events and Engagement Intern for BU Sustainability and I am passionate about the environmental advocacy work I do as part of my internship position on campus. During freshman year in college, I was a Student Senator (first year representative for the College of Arts and Sciences) and an editor for the Americas for the International Relations Review. During sophomore year in college, I am a member of the CAS DEI Student Council, a Kilachand Ambassador and Mentor, and an editor for the Arche journal. I am also a contributor to several media venues on campus. I have spearheaded and I am leading a collaborative research project pertaining to student experiences with environmental injustice and student perceptions on BU’s environmental justice efforts with funding from the Campus Climate Lab and in summer 2024 I pursued the project “Mapping Worldwide Youth-Driven Initiatives for Addressing the Climate Crisis: Best Practices, Values Informing Climate Action, and Environmental Justice” with funding from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
In recent years, I have undertaken various youth leadership roles including as the chairperson for the Saint Louis County Youth Advisory Council spearheading community services needed for local youth, a board member for the FOCUS Saint Louis Board of Directors devising programs for positive regional community change, a team lead for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Youth Preparedness Council incorporating youth voices in disaster preparedness initiatives, and a member of the Student Advisory Boards of Girls Learn International and PBS NewsHours Student Reporting Labs. During my community engagement activities, I have become increasingly convinced that major contemporary problems such as wealth disparities and climate change can only find solutions if addressed from local to global levels, while also ensuring that diverse voices such as those of youth, ethnic and racial minorities, or new immigrants and refugees are not forgotten.
After college, I plan to join the Peace Corps, seek a graduate degree pertaining to human rights, and pursue a career in diplomacy. In my spare time, I enjoy activities related to traveling, reading, music, and film, and I like to also spend time at the gym.
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