Tallahassee, FL - Ariana Marshall is a graduate student in the Environmental Sciences Institute, serves on the Florida AMU Environment and Sustainability Council, and works as a FAMU representative for the Southeastern Green network. Being from the Caribbean island of Barbados, she attributes her interest in environmental issues primarily to the impacts of overdevelopment she has seen in the nine-year time-span she has been in the US. Through her studies, she has come to better understand that many of the environmental issues faced in the Caribbean are parallel to those faced in underserved communities in the US. Her research interests include climate change adaptation and justice, environmental education, and international coastal affairs. Currently a doctoral candidate, she is focused on the role of public participation in coastal land use planning and climate change adaptation. Ariana believes that solutions can be found in empowering more students to feel confident and informed as they engage in the shaping of environmental policies and decisions. Through working with the Southeastern Green network on recent summits, which focused on the role of HBCU's in addressing issues related to agriculture, food access and the sustainability of black farmers, she intends to activate more HBCU students around these issues.