Welcome Our Summer 2024 Interns & Fellows

Kenna is a senior at Rice University studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. As a Watershed Research Fellow, she is excited to use her data analysis and research experience to advocate for improved environmental policy, risk management, and disaster recovery in Houston. At Rice, she has pursued her interests in environmental science and environmental justice through various research projects on pollinator ecology and Texas coastal prairie conservation. She also studied tropical ecology and conservation while abroad in Panama. On campus at Rice, she is a member of the Rice Wildlife Conservation Club, where she leads an annual conservation trip to a wolf sanctuary, and the Rice Environmental Committee, where she plans monthly campus clothing swaps and other events. She loves to bring sustainable practices to the Rice campus, and is excited to expand her experience with Bayou City Waterkeeper this summer.

Francesca François Haas is a rising 3L at Thurgood Marshall School of Law and is
an associate editor on the Law Journal for Gender, Race and Justice. She is an active volunteer in the Junior League of Houston, with a lifelong passion for public policy and advocacy. She began her journey and pathway to legal advocacy when she attended University of St. Thomas, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science, with a concentration on Law and Public Policy. She knew she wanted to be an attorney from a very young age, as she has always considered attorneys as beacons of justice and wanted to become one of those beacons. Francesca is eager to engage in advocacy for excellent water quality for everyone.

Hannah joins Bayou City Waterkeeper as a rising 2L at the University of Houston Law Center. With an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from Texas A&M University and experience in Environmental Justice research, Hannah seeks to pursue a career in environmental law. In particular, Hannah is interested in the concept of sustainability and how it is intertwined within the economic, social, and environmental frameworks to create a delicate balance in decision-making. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to rock music, and hiking. She is also a Houston native who seeks to be at the forefront of fair, equitable environmental initiatives that seek to facilitate a healthy and resilient environment for the greater Houston area. Hannah is excited to immerse herself in the realm of water justice and learn more about addressing water law issues in a comprehensive way – bringing together science, law, and advocacy at Bayou City Waterkeeper. 

Skyler continues their work as Watershed Design Fellow through the start of this summer. Skyler is a landscape designer and researcher interested in how landscape can be used as a medium to design and build capacity for the Just Transition. After graduating from Utah State University with a bachelors degree in Landscape architecture and environmental planning, they moved to Houston to work as a landscape designer for an international design and planning firm and contributed to projects of multiple scales – from streetscapes to eco-tourism centers – all with a concentration on plant material and user experience. While working, they also volunteered with Plant It Forward as a veggie educator and farm steward and served as the Hub Coordinator for Sunrise Movement Houston. Skyler recently graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Design with a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture. Alongside their studies, Skyler has collaborated with The Houston Climate Justice Museum since its beginnings in 2021. Skyler joined BCWK with a keen interest in building community power and capacity to guide the energy transition towards just ends. They hope to use design and planning to unearth opportunities that can uplift the vital infrastructural role watersheds and wetlands play in the Houston region.