Cassandra Swartz '26

ESPP Interests: My ESPP interests lie in marine biology and environmental law! Although my thesis is focused on exploring if and how microplastics enhance the microbial vectoring of fecal coliform diseases in temperate corals, the ESPP curriculum has also cultivated my interest in law, business, and advocacy. Through ESPP and related extracurriculars, I have been able to take environmental law courses with HLS professors, engage with clean technology giants on consulting cases, work on multi-million dollar federal grants for indigenous communities, and write investigate journalistic pieces on the history of fossil fuels and future of clean energy in South Africa. Ultimately, ESPP has uniquely enabled me to embrace the interdisciplinary aspect of the environmental problem and approach real-world social and environmental issues with nuance.