I’m August Franzen, a senior at the University of Washington studying English and Environmental Science. I was born in Seattle but spent most of my childhood in Pittsburgh and moved back to Seattle for college. Every afternoon after school, I would walk the trails of a park near my home. These afternoons spent on and off the trails ignited my love of nature in an urban context.

Through my studies, I hope to reunite people with the nature that they see every day: the trees beside the street, the little park down the road, and the creek under the bridge. I believe that these small places can be ecologically valuable and emotionally restorative. Eventually, I would like to use restoration and urban agriculture to fight for environmental justice. I’m excited to be a part of the IMBY team and start connecting youth with their everyday environment. I also work as a technician at the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Theater. I love cooking, especially baking bread, and there is almost always dough rising in my kitchen. Whenever I can find a couple of spare hours, I go straight to the climbing gym and would love to finally hit some outdoor boulders this summer.