Annalise Rodgers
BHA 2023 Environmental & Sustainability Studies and Music Performance
Annalise Rodgers is an alumna of the BXA program, through which she studied Environmental and Sustainability Studies and Music Performance. Annalise’s ESS studies centered around interconnectivity and philosophy of larger, broadly defined communities. Her interest in the intersection of food systems, US agriculture, what people eat and why, led to an even broader interest in social boundaries and exploring specific examples of their physical manifestation in her Capstone project, Arbitrary Boundaries. The values and techniques used to discuss and describe systems in ESS were also useful in describing the classical music industry as a community and exploring the social boundaries that exist there as well.
As part of her ESS studies, Annalise studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she studied urban planning, politics, ecology, and sustainable development in Europe and Scandinavia. This experience helped illuminate different approaches to environmental issues and how other parts of the world are addressing intersections of inequality, environmental justice, and urban development.
Annalise’s favorite aspect of the ESS program is the variety of classes she was able to take as part of her BXA degree. ESS is a broad field and she was able to shape her interests by choosing classes that relate to larger environmental issues. She was able to take Representation and Redistricting alongside Environmental Policy and Planning, a course through Heinz College, which helped her more fully understand the interactions between policy, representation, and environmental justice.
After graduation, Annalise plans to become a musician in the NYC area and work as a freelance environmental journalist.