Deep Run 2009 graduate, Wellesley College Junior, Awarded Environmental Protection Agency Research Fellowship

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Tiana Ramos, Wellesley College '13

WELLESLEY, MA (12/05/2011)(readMedia)-- Tiana Espaldon Ramos, a 2009 graduate of Deep Run High School and now an environmental sciences major at Wellesley College, was recently awarded a Greater Research Opportunities Fellowship by the Environmental Protection Agency. The endowment provides financial support for students during their junior and senior years and a paid summer internship at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) facility.

"The GRO Fellowship program has benefited both public and private sectors by consistently providing the nation with well-trained environmental specialists to meet environmental challenges in our society," the EPA explains. The program aims to expand undergraduates' interest in environmental sciences, both as a major and career choice.

Ramos says she has always been passionate about environmental sciences and came to Wellesley knowing that she wanted to major in it. This past summer, she worked at a Guamanian non-profit environmental organization.

"My interest began when I was living in Guam for the first half of my life. I considered nature our second 'home,'" Ramos said. "I also experienced weather extremities living there, like typhoons that flooded our house and left us with no power or water for a month, which made me gain a great respect for nature and its power."

Ramos said she is looking forward to her fellowship and hopes that the internship will allow her to learn about government involvement in the environment. Her main interest is protecting tropical islands, like her early home, especially the preservation of finite resources and beauty. She would like to work with the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), in order to be active in minority communities and in their relationship with environmental justice.

"Coming to Wellesley has given me the self-empowerment and support to become a successful and respected woman in the workforce," Ramos said. "My education has exposed me to a continuum of topics and has taught me to work with others to assess global environmental issues in the future."

Ramos is the daughter of Arlene and Jose Ramos of Glen Allen, VA. She is a 2009 graduate of Deep Run High School.

About Wellesley College

Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing an excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world. Its 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,400 undergraduate students from 50 states and 75 countries.