Wawa Gatheru

About

Environmental justice scholar, climate activist, and author. Within the social impact sphere, she is widely celebrated as the Founder and Executive Director of Black Girl Environmentalist, a leading national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Black girls, women, and non-binary individuals across climate disciplines. Her highly influential work has landed her on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and she has been formally appointed as a member of the first-ever National Environmental Youth Advisory Council at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Before fame

Her journey into grassroots environmental advocacy officially began when she was just 15 years old after taking a formative high school environmental science class. Later in her career, she formally accelerated her impact by founding the non-profit Black Girl Environmentalist in 2021. She also expanded her literary presence after signing a deal with HarperCollins' Amistad imprint to release her upcoming debut book, Soul of Our Planet, which is slated for publication.

Trivia

In 2019, she made global academic history by becoming the first Black person to ever receive the Rhodes, Truman, and Udall scholarships simultaneously for her environmental contributions. Her given name is Wanjiku, but she is universally known online and professionally by her nickname "Wawa". Her environmental perspective was deeply shaped early on when she spent a year abroad living in Buriram, Thailand, as a Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Scholar.

Family life

She is based in the United States.

Associated with

Her research was officially cited in report issued by Senator, Chris Murphy..