Wanjiku Gatheru | |
|---|---|
 Gatheru in 2023 | |
| Other names | Wawa |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Climate justice activist |
| Organization | Black Girl Environmentalist |
| Website | blackgirlenvironmentalist |
Wanjiku "Wawa" Gatheru is an American climate justice activist. She is also the winner of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. [1]
Gatheru was born to Kenyan immigrants and raised in the rural area of Pomfret, Connecticut, [1] [2] She became interested in climate activism at 15 and took classes in environmental science. [3] [4]
Gatheru attended the University of Connecticut. She received the Harry S. Truman, Rhodes, and Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation 's scholarship in 2019. [5] She graduated magna cum laude in 2020 with a BA in Environmental studies and a minor in Urban and Community Studies. [6] She earned her Master's from the University of Oxford in nature, society and environmental governance. [7]
Gatheru sought to advocate for Black women and non-binary people through writing and public speaking. [8] [9]
In 2022, she hosted the black eco-feminist summit, which was featured in the British Vogue . [10] She was the board chair at the Environmental Media Association [11]
Gatheru was recognized as a Young Futurist by The Root in 2020, a Grist 50 FIXER, and Glamour College Woman of the Year. [12] In 2021, she was Victoria's Secret PINK Purpose Project Winner. [13]
In January 2023, she appeared on the cover of Vogue alongside Billie Eilish. [14] I She was also named Climate Creator to Watch by Pique Action and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, [15] became a member of the first-ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, [16] and won a Trailblazer Award at Verdical Group's annual Net Zero Conference. [17]
In 2024, Gatheru was named in Forbes 30 Under 30 List under Social Impact. [18]
Media related to Wawa Gatheru at Wikimedia Commons