Student Stories: Get to Know Our Spring 2024 Interns at UNM!

This semester, the Transformation Network team at The University of New Mexico (UNM) is excited to have five undergraduate student interns working with us. Learn more about each of our interns and the work they are doing with the Transformation Network in this month’s blog post.

Sa’angna Mi’ila Gollette

Sa’angna is a senior at UNM and is from Los Angeles, CA. She is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences with a minor in Sustainability Studies and her concentration is in paleoclimatology using stable isotope geochemistry. Having worked in diverse Earth Science laboratories, she is dedicated to identifying ways to bridge the gap between research and science communication for wider audiences. Aside from research, Sa’angna enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends. Her hobbies include landscape photography, kayaking, and fly fishing.

Sa’angna will be working in Dr. Alex Webster’s Lab learning about how climate change can have impacts on riparian systems. Through the Lab’s research, their team can help local officials navigate risk reduction around those systems. “This experience allows me to enhance my skills and deepen my commitment to environmental stewardship as I work and collaborate alongside experts and enthusiasts who share a common goal of safeguarding our planet’s watersheds,” Sa’angna said.

Augustus “Gus” Guikema

Gus is a junior at UNM and is studying Economics and Geography. In his studies, Gus focuses on the intersection of political economy and the environment and plans to pursue a PhD. Originally from Aztec, NM, Gus has worked in environmental conservation in Northern New Mexico and is a research assistant at the UNM Bureau of Business and Economic Research in addition to his work with the Transformation Network. Gus enjoys backpacking, horror movies, and cats.

This semester, Gus is working on a project with Dr. Manuel Montoya focusing on critical theories of economic heterodoxy in Mora, NM and the challenges produced by federal compensation frameworks for the 2022 Calf Canyon Hermits Peak Fire.

“I’m excited to be a part of the Transformation Network because it is an unparalleled opportunity to work in exploring innovative approaches to the issues faced by our communities, and I really appreciate the emphasis that the TN places upon community-engaged research,” Gus said. “The structure of the TN fosters dynamism and an environment where I will be able to contribute meaningfully to the intersection of the various disciplines involved in both understanding our various institutions and building towards positive social change.”

Esther Hewitt

Esther is the Transformation Network’s Communications Intern and has been working with us since October 2023. She transferred to UNM in Fall 2023 to study Sociology and Sustainability Studies. She loves justice and equity and doesn’t think one should have to choose between the Earth or the people who inhabit her. Esther believes books are best organized by color and is a fierce competitor in the game of spoons. She adores her children, her dog Blue, and the smell of Ponderosa pines.

Esther has been helping the Transformation Network with student outreach, running our social media pages, lending her skills as a professional photographer, and other odd jobs that the administrative team needs help with.

“The thing I really appreciate about the Transformation Network is the interdisciplinary model because if we’re going to make any sort of headway addressing climate issues, it’s going to take all of us and all of the disciplines working together to make a difference,” she said of her work with the TN.

Kayla Jim

Kayla Jim is a junior at UNM and is working towards her Bachelor’s in Environmental Planning and Design in the Community and Regional Planning Department. Kayla is Diné and was born in Shiprock, NM. She was raised both in Albuquerque and Upper Fruitland located on the Navajo Nation. She enjoys being outside and taking care of her plants.

Kayla will be working on the Water Resources and Watershed Planning for Indigenous and Rural Communities in the Intermountain West project. She will work with Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie and graduate student Leona Morgan on developing a template for water resources and watershed planning for rural Indigenous communities that emphasizes local community needs and concerns while using Indigenous and place-based knowledge.

“I am very excited to work on this project because it involves a community I identify with. Ever since I have been in school, I have been wanting to work with my Diné community and help them in any way I possibly can. I am excited to develop community outreach and engagement skills through this project as well,” Kayla said.

Cole Kochan

Cole is a senior at UNM majoring in Statistics and Economics. He transferred to UNM in Fall 2022 after a long hiatus from higher education, during which (among other things) he worked as a dog groomer for several years. He plans to graduate in the Spring 2024 and is interested in eventually pursuing a PhD in Economics. He grew up in and around Oakland, CA but has lived in a variety of places over the years. Cole enjoys reading, playing chess, and being out in nature.

Along with Gus, Cole will be working as a research assistant to Professor Manuel Montoya, whose project, Parallel Economic Systems and the “Obligation to Incorporate”: A Loss Valuation Review, aims to study New Mexico’s diverse economic systems through the prism of the recent Calf Canyon Hermits Peak (CCHP) Fire. This project will focus on how communities with economies historically understood to be “informal” or mutual aid driven can navigate the legal and bureaucratic processes necessary to seek formal compensation for losses suffered during anthropogenic disasters.

“Specifically, we will undertake a loss valuation which will attempt a holistic assessment of the impact of the recent CCHP Fire on communities in the San Miguel and Mora Counties of Northern New Mexico and aim to develop an approach to evaluating losses in such cases that goes beyond the myopic and narrowly constrained compensation structures of FEMA and USDA,” Cole said.

Cole’s research was recently awarded funding through Arts & Sciences Support for Undergraduate Research Experience program (ASSURE) at UNM for the Spring 2024 semester. Congratulations to Cole and Manuel for this achievement!

We are thrilled to have these five students working for the Transformation Network this semester and are excited to hear about and highlight the work they are doing. Thanks for being a part of the Transformation Network!

If you have suggestions for future blog posts or would like to see specific projects, students, community partners, or faculty members highlighted, please get in touch! Email rlandman@unm.edu to share your ideas.