Jesline Rahardjo: Student, Researcher, Changemaker
Jesline Rahardjo’s passion for sustainability preceded the start of her studies at UBC. Her pathway through university has had twists and turns – taking her from studying engineering in her first year to food sciences in her fourth – but she has never diverged from her aspiration to help make the world more sustainable.
Jesline grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. She arrived at her decision to attend UBC primarily based on Vancouver’s reputation as a “green” city and her own interest in environmentalism.
“In Jakarta… it’s pretty polluted and we’re faced by a number of other sustainability challenges… I’m hoping that I can bring back to my country the knowledge that I gain at UBC and impact change. That’s how I got started and interested in sustainability,” said Jesline.
Jesline has become involved in sustainability at UBC in a variety of ways, including through her studies and research projects.
“The courses that I’ve taken helped broaden my perspective on the world outside of UBC. My campus involvement is often UBC-focused and student-centric. But in terms of courses, they talk about Vancouver, British Columbia – and the broader world: how people around the world are managing sustainability; how different countries have different laws about sustainability and how they actually implement them,” said Jesline.
So far in her undergraduate career, Jesline’s favourite sustainability-related course is LFS 250 – Land, Food and Community.
“It definitely broadened my perspective on the global food system. I believe that the objective of the course is to teach us to be citizens, even leaders, who can actually find those critical solutions to the challenges facing the global food systems - solutions that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. That’s what inspired me, in part, to become a UBC Sustainability Ambassador.”
Posted by UBC Sustainability on Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Jesline became a UBC Sustainability Ambassador – part of the University’s student-based volunteer outreach program – in 2014.
“As a UBC Sustainability Ambassador, I am part of a great team. We all have very diverse backgrounds. I get to learn a lot from them… because we all share a common passion, a common goal – sustainability,” Jesline said. “Since I’m very passionate about food, I organized an event called Eating Sustainably. It teaches students how they can actually make a difference, how they can choose their food options in a sustainable manner. All of the food served at the event was vegan, organic, locally produced – that way, students can get to know the brands that are actually sustainable.”
Although extracurricular involvement has been a significant part of Jesline’s life at UBC, she believes that formal education can be key to developing a holistic understanding of sustainability.
“I enjoy taking courses in sustainability because they help broaden my perspectives on how people understand sustainability through different lenses,” said Jesline. “The courses give you the knowledge – a really good foundation – for taking action and making a difference."
This student profile is part of a series developed by students in order to highlight student, faculty and staff leadership in sustainability.
Video production and story writing by Austen Erhardt, Communications and Engagement Assistant (a Work Learn position with the UBC Sustainability Initiative).