My interest in civic engagement began with my interest in the environment. This interest exploded during the pandemic, when I was either stuck at home reading Silent Spring, going on hikes with my family, or going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about whatever ecological topic piqued my interest that day. On one of these occasions, I found myself reading about transportation and how the current model of transportation harms the environment. Fast forward to my freshman summer at Connecticut College, and I had the opportunity to work with the Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity, (CHEO), an organization working to expand access to affordable housing in Eastern Connecticut. I hadn’t before realized how intertwined affordable housing and transportation were, and I found myself deeply interested in urbanism and affordable housing in addition to the environment topics that had always interested me. Through my time at CHEO, I also expanded upon my civic engagement by testifying at local board meetings to advocate for pro-housing ordinances and even testifying at the state capitol to push for increased protection from no-fault evictions. These experiences have given me experience, knowledge, and confidence to go to these legislative hearings in support of values I care about and which my studies show to be in the public interest. I am continuing to explore different modes of civic engagement by mobilizing my college peers to protest against the Trump administration’s actions through local direct actions.