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Intern Spotlight – Gillian Champoir

Ohio Environmental Council, July 19, 2022

I am originally from a suburb west of Cleveland, OH.  Growing up on Lake Erie, I developed a passion for watersheds– both big and small– and the quality of one of Ohio’s most precious resources.  As a child, I loved creek-walking and exploring the natural areas around my hometown.  Even now, I make a point to visit a new state park every summer with the company of my dog, Lyman (just not during tick season!).

However, there is a perpetual downside to growing up on Lake Erie– Harmful Algal Bloom season.  As I grew older and more educated, I began to see first hand not only how our human activity contributed to the annual bloom, but how the bloom impacted the habitats of Lake Erie species and humans.  Lake Erie issues have become an integral component of my studies and independent research and I am looking to expand my knowledge by moving away from HABs and focusing on tributary sediment accumulation and discharge.

I am currently a rising senior at Denison University in Granville, OH majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Global Environmental Justice and Anthropology and Sociology.  My studies have allowed me to explore how we as humans interact with our environment both ecologically and socially while using environmental and population based data to form conclusions.

I’ll admit that coming into this internship I knew only the basics about politics, but I have already learned so much from the few weeks that I have been here!  I am looking forward to exploring the relationship between politicians, government, and constituents regarding environmental issues.  I am very much looking forward to the rest of my summer at OEC!

-Gillian Champoir, Political Intern