CHCI-API Energy Graduate Fellow
Hometown: Brownsville, Texas
School: Texas A&M University
Degrees: Ph.D. Candidate in Ecosystem Science and Management, M.S. Rangeland Ecology and Management
Placement: U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources
Gabriela Sosa is committed to promoting sustainable land management practices and conservation. Gabriela was born and raised in South Texas. She earned her B.S. in environmental science from the University of Texas at San Antonio and her M.S. in rangeland ecology and management from Texas A&M University. Gabriela is currently a Ph.D. candidate completing her doctoral dissertation in ecosystem science and management from Texas A&M University.
While in graduate school, Gabriela served as president of the Hispanic/Latino Graduate Student Association and as the departmental representative in the Graduate Student Council. She also established the Society for Ecological Restoration Student Guild at Texas A&M University, whose mission is to engage students, professors, and scientists in the practice and science of the repair and management of ecological systems. In addition, Gabriela has interned with the U.S. Forest Service, which exposed her to policy issues related to grazing management, landscape ecology, restoration, watershed management, and climate change.
Gabriela was awarded a doctoral scholarship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and she was selected as a doctoral fellow in the Hispanic Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment Program. Gabriela was also selected as the Master’s Student of the Year by the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Texas A&M University, an award presented to the student who has demonstrated outstanding research in ecosystem management. As an undergraduate, Gabriela was awarded the College of Science Presidential Scholarship at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has also been a National Science Foundation international research fellow at the National University of Singapore.
Gabriela realizes that a multidisciplinary approach is needed to solve today’s environmental issues. As a CHCI Energy Graduate Fellow, she aspires to gain valuable insight on federal policies related to energy and natural resources. With her continued active involvement in the field of ecology, she also hopes to promote greater environmental awareness among Hispanics in America’s border regions and throughout our nation.