Meet Shyanne Miller

I was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware. I have always had an interest in the environment and loved animals, so when I graduated from high school I set my goal to get my bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware. During my time there, I found that environmental discourse often excluded major social issues such as racism, classism, and sexism. I found it difficult to engage in conversations around environmentalism in my own neighborhood and often felt out of place in my classes when course content was not inclusive of relevant social issues. To put it plainly, we learned and practiced environmentalism in silos.

In an effort to holistically explore the underlying causes of environmental degradation—including poverty and racism—and to discover ways to change these systemic forms of oppression, I decided to pursue my graduate degree in sustainable development from SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. There, I was able to dive into coursework that engaged me in challenging conversations around social identity, systemic forms of oppression, and catalytic change.

At SIT, I found avenues to educate my peers as I learned. At Racial Justice Alliance, where I served as co-president, it was our mission to create an educational, interactive, and inclusive space where people could safely learn about racism and anti-racism. In my position as lead coordinator of Green Up SIT, I found ways to incorporate environmental justice discourse into our activities. The result was an environmental group that created a dialogue that diverged from the traditional environmental discourse I learned as an undergrad. Being a part of these two groups allowed  me to explore my own understanding of the issues as well as create a community of learning with my peers. Beyond that, my favorite part of graduate school was learning about how to use policy advocacy to affect change. I was able to explore topics such as crafting a compelling message, power-mapping, shifting discourses, identifying and establishing meaningful partnerships through coalition-building and policy analysis and research.

When I discovered Rodel, I found an organization that is doing all the work I want to be a part of—informing decision-makers on best practices in public education using accurate and relevant research, engaging stakeholders, creating community partnerships, and developing well-rounded methods to create an exceptional public education system in Delaware. I found a place that not only fits into my goals of sustainable and equitable change, but also creates a way for me to explore the inside of the education system in a holistic manner. During my time here as policy fellow I hope to support Rodel in its projects as well as contribute in a way that furthers dialogue and action on creating a more equitable public education system in my home state.