Lift As You Climb
Victoria Carroll found her passion for environmental sustainability after becoming involved in the field almost by default. She comes from a family of environmental activists and also studies environmental protection laws and environmental sustainability practices in the communities in which she resides as part of her studies in chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA.
Carroll recognizes that the focus for environmental sustainability changes depending on the location. During an internship over summer break, she was able to work with a wildlife refuge on the Gulf coast addressing coastal erosion—particularly the damage to the greenery along the coast of a given area.
Erosion impacts the wildlife that lives in or near the vegetation, the economy that depends on the shoreline, and rising sea levels. Wildlife loses their homes, the fishing industry slows down, and rising sea levels cause damage to the community, especially during hurricane season. Carroll volunteered with the wildlife refuge camp to plant greenery along the coastline to alleviate some of those issues.
At Louisiana Tech, Carroll has different responsibilities. In addition to being a student, she sits as the business diversity chair of the National Society of Black Engineers. Her position in the organization requires her to recruit as many people as possible to help with neighborhood cleanups and recycling drives.
COVID-19 has impacted that work because she was unable to have in-person meetings on campus. Thankfully, the organization could still complete neighborhood cleanups and recycling drives because they are outside, and people can work socially distanced.
Carroll’s philosophy is “lift as you climb” and hopes that the work for environmental sustainability will never end. She believes that mentorship is important for academic, professional, and environmental success. Whenever she recruits students for her volunteer efforts, she teaches the importance of leaving the environment healthy for the generations that come after us.
