Daniel Yang Hits the World Stage!

Daniel has just completed his fourth season with Urban Roots and headed back to St. John’s University, where he is enrolled in a pre-law track, majoring in Political Science and Communication Studies. This summer, Daniel worked as a HarveStar, an Urban Roots Advanced Internship that offers increased opportunity for returning youth, to build leadership skills.

Daniel noted that his experiences at Urban Roots instilled an appreciation of and greater awareness for the environment and for healthy living. Working in the Market Garden Program, he learned that organic farming helps remove carbon from the atmosphere, helping mitigate the effects of climate change. His interest in climate change was further cultivated through a presentation given by Climate Generation during our Career Enrichment Sessions offered weekly during the summer, where he was able to connect his work to the global challenge of climate change. He has continued studying climate change this semester at St. John’s University and is part of a select group of students that will observe and research the United Nations’ negotiations on climate change this December in Paris. In his course application, Daniel wrote about his involvement with Urban Roots to convey his passion for the environment, “Urban Roots was like a gateway for me for learning about climate change.”

Facilitating group-work, teaching in the community and practicing public speaking while with Urban Roots prepared Daniel well for this course. He plans to attend press conferences in Paris and network with people in media and policy fields. The trip will be Daniel’s first time outside the country. While he expects to feel outside of his comfort zone, he also feels that working in a variety of situations at Urban Roots has prepared him to handle new experiences with greater confidence.

In Paris, leaders from around the globe will make important decisions for the future of the earth. Daniel is excited to be a part of history and represent his university and Urban Roots on the world stage.