Kesten Bozinovic

Hi! My name is Kesten Bozinovic, and I am from San Diego, California. I graduated in 2021 from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Public Health and a minor in Political Science. Throughout my undergrad I began working at a non-profit, nonpartisan, grassroots advocacy organization with the goal of implementing federal climate legislation. I have spent the last four years training and empowering citizens to develop the skills necessary to build relationships with Congress to advocate for effective, sustainable, and equitable climate policies. Through this work, I’ve developed a passion for climate and environmental advocacy, with policy solutions informed by a scientific approach. During undergrad, I also worked at a science research and teaching institute with an environmental health focus. There, I worked on public health and environmentally-relevant projects including measuring morphological, developmental, and genetic dose-responses of model organisms to an unregulated PFAS chemical. My experience with research and teaching has made me greatly appreciate the importance of environmental science, while highlighting the role of policy to apply the findings in a way that benefits society. Beyond the intersection of science and policy, environmental justice should be a core policy component to address environmentally related health disparities. This was reinforced during my time as an undergraduate researcher at SDSU investigating domestic and international health equity issues exacerbated by Covid-19. Overall, these experiences have inspired me to pursue a masters degree that helps bridge the gap between science and policy. I’m so excited to be a part of the Georgetown community and collaborate with a group of peers from diverse backgrounds that share the same passion for the environment.