Campus involvement quickly transformed into global involvement for The Ohio State University sophomore Luke Hawes.
Hawes, an Environmental Policy and Decision Making major with a minor in Spanish, is a part of the School of Environment and Natural Resources Honors program and the International Affairs Scholars program. Along with being a part of these programs, he also works as a Student Manager at the front desk in the Kuhn Honors and Scholars House for the Office of Academic Enrichment. He enjoys working with professional staff and other student employees he can consider friends rather than coworkers. Both Honors and Scholars programs, a part of the Office of Academic Enrichment, have affected Hawes.
“Each program has shaped my college experience in a different way. The Honors program has allowed me to develop close relationships with professors, particularly Dr. Rebecca Haidt, with whom I took Honors Spanish Literature and Culture. The International Affairs Scholars program allowed me to meet my roommate, who is the one of the best people I have met these first two years. I have also met others who share a passion for international affairs and social justice,” says Hawes.
Along with nine other Ohio State students, Hawes was able to express and learn more about his interests in climate change globally by attending the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai.
“Here at Ohio State, I switched my major after one semester of freshman year after taking some environmental and natural resource courses. I also got involved, I went to the Midwest Climate Conference, with my current boss, Tom Reeves. I was really into that and knew what I wanted to do with my future career.”
Hawes' climate interests began from a young age. He has family from Appalachia and was able to see the effects of the fracking industry firsthand. Throughout high school, he was involved in an environmental organization run by one of his teachers, who he considered a great sustainability advocate. The organization, along with the AP Environmental Science class he took in high school, influenced his interests that have carried on into college.
These interests are what led Hawes to COP28. He found out about the opportunity while attending Professor Bart Elmore’s book talk on Country Capitalism during Time for Change Week 2023, from March 27th to April 2nd.
“Towards the end of the talk he revealed the emergence of this program at Ohio State and as soon as I heard about it I knew I definitely wanted to go if I were to be selected. So, I applied then I found out later in the summer, closer to the start of the academic year in the fall, that I was able to add the course.”
The course required for the study abroad program was HIST4705, The Politics of Climate. This course introduced information about COP28 and consisted of reflections, presentations, and readings of issues that would be discussed at the conference. Topics such as the science of climate change, economics of the issue, and the conference history were taught in the class. Along with learning about the conference, the students and professors got to learn about each other before the trip. The two professors, Doctors Nick Breyfogle and Bart Elmore, taught the course and travelled with the students to COP28.
Hawes expressed how their Ohio State group was his favorite part of the conference. The diversity and shared passions of the group were memorable for him.
“The group itself, the 13 of us, was just a really good group. People of all different academic backgrounds and interests. Everyone was just really passionate about the climate action, and everyone was just super great and friendly. We're still friends to this day and we all continue to hang out outside of class.”
Hawes witnessed real-life decision-making at the conference. He gained experience towards his major and met many climate activists from around the world. This experience is something he brought back to incorporate on campus. He is involved in several organizations such as Time for Change, Ohio Youth for Climate Justice, and has the role of secretary of The United Nations Association.
The experience and knowledge gained from the trip will help Hawes with his future goals. His plans consist of law school, to study either environmental law, international law, or legal law. Hawes eventually would like to go back to the conference, to a different location at some point in the future, as it was such a memorable experience.
