Amelia is passionate about access to and the effects of environmental education globally, particularly in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador.
Because she experienced a wealth of informal and non-formal environmental education from her parents and from explorations growing up in Southern Oregon, she is interested in researching how environmental education manifests in global communities. She fell in love with the Galápagos on a structured university-led trip during her undergraduate studies and realized that there was a dearth of research on social aspects of the communities living on the islands. Because of this, she pursued research in the Galápagos in 2014 on the prevalence of and access to both formal and informal (provided by numerous NGOs and government agencies) environmental education for students on the islands, and on the level of student environmental literacy in 28 schools.
Her Dphil research focus, under the supervision of Dr. Ann Childs and Dr. Steve Puttick, is on access to and effects of Experiential Environmental Education for students living in the Galápagos Islands, and on the production of research on the social sphere in Galápagos.
Prior to starting her Dphil at Oxford, she worked in alliances and partnerships at tech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most recently, she was the Director of Global Partnerships at Conversica, a conversational AI platform, and cultivated, trained, and drove pipeline with select international resellers in APAC, EMEA, and LATAM, and with regional resellers in the United States. She also assisted with the design and construction of the Conversica partner program.
In her free time, she is a free-lance food photographer, food stylist, food blogger, recipe developer, and gluten free baker for her online blog and social handle, Sisters Sans Gluten (www.sisterssansgluten), which she created with her sister in 2018. She also continues to sing informally and takes voice lessons remotely with instructor Corey Head of San Francisco.
She holds a BA in both Anthropology and Music (vocal performance), and an MA in Latin American Studies from Stanford University. Highlights from Stanford include: playing and touring as a performing member of Stanford Taiko (Japanese ensemble drumming) for four years; singing with the Stanford Chamber Chorale led by Professor Steve Sano; studying voice with Wendy Hillhouse; participating in music department operas; performing in self-organized recitals showcasing western art songs, western musical theater, and Latin American art songs; studying abroad in Santiago, Chile; and learning Quechua during her masters program with Marisol Necochea.
