CEW+ appreciates Kelsey’s unwavering pursuit of a better future and names her a Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar.

Kelsey Campana is a master’s student at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, where she specializes in ecosystem science and management as well as environmental policy and planning. Kelsey became the person she is today by overcoming profound challenges that led her to delay high school completion.

With support from her friends and family, she earned her GED and enrolled at Washtenaw Community College, where she excelled academically. Kelsey then transferred to the University of Michigan, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Earth and Environmental Science. Meanwhile, she volunteered extensively to help other women who had faced challenges similar to those she had faced growing up.

Kelsey’s professional experience spans environmental project management, water quality monitoring, and research assistance. Kelsey is currently a graduate fellow with For Love of Water, where she’s helping to develop a comprehensive groundwater management strategy for Michigan. She also recently served as a monitoring intern conducting invasive species surveys with Friends of the Rouge. Her previous roles as an environmental project manager and operations technician have given her hands-on insight into industrial waste management, compliance, and environmental monitoring. Her professional endeavors, as well as her graduate study, are conducted with the goal of transforming environmental policy from the ground up.

Kelsey became a mother during her first semester of graduate school, which she says adds a new emotional weight to her environmental advocacy. Her daughter is now at the heart of her drive to protect ecosystems, mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure equitable access to clean water and healthy environments.

CEW+ appreciates Kelsey’s unwavering pursuit of a better future and names her a Margaret Dow Towsley Scholar.