Steward of the Land

As a member of California Lutheran University’s Earth Society, nature aficionado Cecilia Marisol Lopez lives by her beliefs about protecting our planet and its finite resources.

The fourth-year student switched her major from liberal studies in education to environmental science after taking a geology class in her first year. 

“Learning about the power of all the different earth processes compelled me to change my major and study even more environmental processes,” Lopez said. “Preserving the environment and making better sustainable decisions are definitely interests of mine that I love to share with the people around me!” 

Lopez’s call to conservation came early in life. In the sixth grade, she heard about a calendar contest involving water use reduction that revealed how much water the state of California uses.

“That was my first introduction to the idea that individuals are capable of changing the environment for the better, which has stuck with me,” Lopez said. 

Emphasis on an environmental lens 

Joining Earth Society has exposed Lopez to a plethora of terrestrial activities that allow her and other members to expand their knowledge of plants, wildlife and volunteerism. She and her fellow conservationists take hikes, help with the SEEd Project garden, participate in trash clean-ups at nearby Wildwood Regional Park and table campus events for Earth Week.

“Throughout any event or meeting, we always emphasize the environmental lens we should use in our daily lives,” Lopez said. 

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Megan Fung, PhD, serves as faculty advisor to Earth Society and was also Lopez’s faculty mentor for her 2022 summer research project for which she received an ALLIES in STEM Research Fellowship. Lopez’s project, “Analyzing the Impact of Temperature Changes on the Preservation of Marine Microfossils,” enabled her to research how ocean temperatures affect the conservation of small fossils called foraminifera, and how these tiny shells alter paleoclimate records over time.  

Lopez’s research taught her several skills, including processing microfossil samples, entering quantitative and qualitative data, using microscopes to take high-quality photos, and creating and presenting a research poster.

“The biggest thing I learned was how much information we can recover from marine microfossils, such as ancient sea levels, ice sheet levels, and carbon and oxygen abundances. I also learned that Earth’s climate record is based on these microfossils and can be used to help track our current and project future climates, which makes me hopeful for our near future.”

Aside from studying environmental science, Lopez is minoring in creative writing, an interest of hers since the age of six.

 “I started practicing creative writing after watching an episode of ‘Dora the Explorer’ and have continued writing occasional poems and stories since then,” Lopez said. 

A future filled with possibilities

Lopez will complete her coursework at the end of the fall semester and is starting to reflect on her time at Cal Lutheran.

“I really enjoy the close-knit feeling of the small campus and class sizes, especially being able to see a classmate from one to three semesters ago and still be able to talk with them as if you saw them yesterday,” Lopez said. 

One quote, from an adjunct professor in the Religion Department, Kristin Ritzau, PhD, has particularly resonated with her, “You can do hard things.”

“I believe that over the past four years, I’ve learned that I really am capable of accomplishing hard things,” Lopez said.

One obstacle Lopez surmounted was a house fire that impacted her home in Oxnard.  

“It was a huge challenge attending online classes while living in a hotel for a month and moving cities,” Lopez said. ”So I considered discontinuing my studies. Ultimately, I chose to keep attending classes, and I’m incredibly grateful I decided to continue studying environmental science!”

One class that relates to Lopez’s major, ENGL-216: Environmental Literature, connects her affinity for nature, writing, equity, and community service.

“It bridged the gap between the science part of environmentalism and the social justice aspect, which I still do my best to uphold today by volunteering at my local community gardens,” Lopez said.

She has words of praise for Fung, who helped to steer her through her coursework by providing guidance and research opportunities.

“I’m super grateful for her as my professor and mentor,” Lopez said.

Next up for Lopez: she wants to work with the SAMO Youth program in the Santa Monica Mountains and  Channel Islands National Park. Although she eventually plans on attending either the University of California, Davis or the University of California, Santa Cruz to study ecology or science communication, Lopez remains open to professional options. 

“In the short term, I would love to work with the National Park System in habitat and wildlife conservation and restoration. At the same time, I’m really passionate about community engagement and education, so I also hope to work either with a non-profit organization or school program to perform science education outreach," Lopez said. "In the long term, I hope to eventually earn my PhD and start conducting my own environmental research out in the field!”