Giancarlo Ceja

CHCI Public Policy Fellow   

Presented by RTX  

Hometown: Corona, California  

School: University of Southern California  

Degree: B.A. in Environmental Studies, B.A. in International Relations  

Placement: The Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President

Giancarlo (he/him) is a first-generation, Latine, aspiring policymaker who graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California with two Bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Studies and International Relations, and a minor in Web Technologies and Applications. His passion lies within environmental justice, striving to create climate mitigation policy that protects the marginalized communities most susceptible to the climate crisis. This pursuit was spurred by his upbringing, growing up in a low-income community in the inland empire of Southern California disproportionately affected by environmental phenomena such as Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) and air pollution.  

This led him to be part of EH MATTERS fellows at the USC Environmental Health Center, where he developed an independent project analyzing the severity of the UHI Phenomenon in his home county of Riverside, California. His focus on disadvantaged communities then led him to South Korea as a USC Global Fellow, where he assisted in the expansion of his company’s air-purification technology to global south nations with severe air pollution. Back at home, Giancarlo has been active in coastal research and policy, conducting citizen science projects with USC Sea Grant and commenting publicly against harmful marine development through Heal the Bay.  

Giancarlo has also been actively involved in the federal government, first as an intern in the district office of Congressman Jimmy Gomez and later as an intern for the U.S. Geological Survey, where he was a co-organizer for the first International Invasive Species and Climate Change Conference. During the Summer of 2023, he interned in the U.S. Department of Transportation advancing environmental justice compliance and community aid programs, while also completing the in-person programming for the Humanity in Action Fellowship. In fall 2024, he was part of the USC Climate Justice Lab led by Dr. Shannon Gibson, where he researched the justice implications of climate financing at COP28 and interviewed key activists in the justice movement. As a Gilman Scholar, Giancarlo conducted two independent research projects focused on eco-anxiety and immigration induced by climate change at the University of Queensland. Giancarlo was also heavily involved at USC, being a section leader for the Trojan Marching Band and an ambassador for multiple programs within the Dornisfe College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences. 

In the future, Giancarlo strives to earn an MPP and JD to continue preparing for a career in environmental policy. As a CHCI Public Policy fellow, he hopes to continue learning the skills necessary to develop and enact policy that properly combats climate change.