A Peek Inside Mapping Justice From the Perspective of a Summer Intern
By: Haven Whitney
This summer, I joined trubel&co with little more knowledge about GIS than its connection to geography. What drew me in was the Mapping Justice program, a virtual course that equips high school students with STEM skills — especially GIS — focusing on civic and climate work. Eager to understand it better, I decided to drop in on a few zoom classes, joining sessions with both the Florida and Hawai`i cohorts.
My first experience was with the Florida cohort during their second week of class. As I logged onto the video call, the students were deep in a discussion about what makes a good question. The class, led by instructor Danielle Katz and teaching assistant Juan Cortes III, was in the midst of developing their community principles, building on the work they had started the week before.
It was refreshing to see how engaged [the students] were, and I couldn’t help but wonder why more educational experiences don’t take this approach.
What struck me immediately as I kept listening, and the conversation moved on to this week’s work, was how different this learning environment was from what I had experienced in university. Rather than the usual essays and response papers, students engaged in a variety of creative assignments that allowed for self-expression and fun. It was refreshing to see how engaged they were, and I couldn’t help but wonder why more educational experiences don’t take this approach.
The remainder of the class was dedicated to “stations,” where students rotated through different activities. One station focused on group discussions for their research capstone — a final project showcasing all they had learned, including independent research they had chosen to pursue. Even in the second week, the students were diving into their work with enthusiasm, ready to push the limits of their understanding.
The following week, I dropped in again, this time for a session with a guest speaker. Mapping Justice regularly invites professionals with GIS experience, whether personal or within their organizations, to engage with the students. On this day, the speaker was Cat Fernandez, a community organizer for climate justice in Florida. Cat shared her experiences in art activism and encouraged students to explore similar avenues. She spoke about the work of Our Climate, an organization that mobilizes youth in climate advocacy, and highlighted GIS as a powerful tool for storytelling and initiating change.
“Storytelling is, to me, at the forefront of the movement,” Cat said. “It is our most powerful tool, and we all have a story and a relation to the climate crisis, even if we’re not fully aware of it yet.”
After my experiences with the Florida cohort, I was eager to sit in on the Hawai’i group. I was curious to see how the instructors would introduce GIS to their students, especially those who were encountering it for the first time. When I joined the class, I quickly realized that most students were in the same boat as I had been — not familiar with GIS at all.
The session began with logistics, but soon the students were thrown into the deep end, discussing their first reading on gentrification in Hawai’i. The instructors didn’t shy away from tough topics. They showed a documentary on the struggles of native islanders, who are being priced out of their generational homes while the tourism industry continues to grow. When the students broke into groups to discuss, they eagerly shared their thoughts on homelessness and the cost of living, drawing from their own experiences. I realized then that high school students are more than ready to tackle complex, controversial issues when given the opportunity and the tools to express themselves.
High school students are more than ready to tackle complex, controversial issues when given the opportunity and the tools to express themselves.
The next time I joined the Hawai’i cohort, they were presenting collages they had created on environmental issues in their communities. Each collage was deeply personal, reflecting the students’ experiences and the impact of climate gentrification on their neighborhoods. It was a powerful reminder that environmental issues are not just abstract concepts but lived realities that shape the futures of communities.
As the weeks progressed, any doubts I had about the students’ GIS skills quickly vanished. I watched them take on increasingly advanced tasks, building Story Maps and dashboards, and diving into group research projects on environmental justice. Despite having just started, they were already conducting substantial research, using their newfound GIS skills to analyze data.
[After just a few weeks] they were already conducting substantial research, using GIS skills to analyze data.
Everything culminated in the final showcase: a full-day symposium where the students presented their research to peers, family members, and community guests. The Florida cohort held their showcase virtually, while the Hawai’i class met in Honolulu. After a reception, each group presented their findings and answered questions from the audience. The depth of knowledge and dedication each student displayed left me — and the guests — deeply impressed.
Overall, this experience left me feeling hopeful and energized. I’m grateful to have been a part of a program that empowers young students to use their voices and skills to create change. It’s clear to me now that GIS is more than just a tool for mapping — it’s a powerful means of storytelling and advocacy, and I’m excited to see how these students will continue to use it in their futures.
View the 2024 Mapping Justice Student Projects!
Haven Whitney is currently pursuing a masters in computer science at Stanford University. Haven served as a 2024 summer intern with trubel&co where they supported Mapping Justice program administration and implementation, in addition to other projects.
