Khadija Shaikh

Khadija Shaikh is from Charlotte, North Carolina and is a sophomore majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Social Justice Organizing. She is a STEM Scholar in the Honors program, as well as on the CLAS Dean’s List throughout her time as a student at the University of Connecticut. Khadija spent this past summer interning with the Connecticut Trail Finder and Trail Census Programs where she supported the team by aiding and implementing initiatives focused on intersectional environmentalism and environmental justice such as land acknowledgments, environmental justice blog series, collaborations between NatureRx and CT Trail Finder, and the Anti- Racism in the Outdoors Symposium. She also composed narrative trail postings of trails around the state of Connecticut and provided them to trail managers, as well as published them on the CT Trail Finder for public access. This semester, Khadija started working at the Asian American Cultural Center as the Salaam Coordinator, through which she organizes events with other student organizations with the hope of eradicating Islamophobia at UConn with the awareness and understanding of the Islamic lifestyle. She is currently facilitating communication between UConn Muslim student organizations to build an active all-inclusive Muslim community as well as working to develop a respectful relationship between the Muslim community and the University’s administration. In addition to being the Salaam coordinator, Khadija is a student grader for the Environmental Studies Department, for which she helps incoming professors develop syllabi and lesson plans, grade assignments, and provide feedback on the effectiveness of the course. Khadija has also established the My Environmental Story column in the Daily Campus Opinion Section this semester which has an emphasis on fostering a community that provides a space for those who marginalized identities and voices that have been historically suppressed and unheard in the environmentalism movement due to systemic injustices. If you would like to contribute, let her know! She is always looking for more contributors! Alongside her many jobs, Khadija is involved in EcoHusky and UConn Collaborative Organizing (UCCO), both of which are student-led organizations focused on the intersectionality of social justice movements. Through her E-board positions in both organizations, Khadija promotes the intersectionality of environmentalism while combatting tokenism and promoting diversity and active inclusivity. She challenges the norms of the environmental movement by having critical conversations of intent vs impact with both officers and members of the clubs. Khadija is passionate about personalizing and decolonizing the environmental movement by working towards the active inclusion and empowerment of individuals with marginalized identities. These values are the reason why Khadija was interested in the UConn@COP26 Program – she loves making connections with other environmentalists with identities that are not typically represented in the climate movement, like herself! Outside of being a voice for the climate justice movement, Khadija loves modest sustainable fashion, making art, and being a plant mom!