Alumni Spotlight Q&A: Helen Bradshaw ’23

Meet Helen Bradshaw, who graduated from Northwestern in 2023 from the Environmental Policy and Culture (EPC) Program.

What inspired you to pursue study in the Environmental Policy and Culture (EPC) Program?
I grew up on a farm in rural Florida, and I was always interested in the environments around me and how they impacted my communities. A lot of my environmental science knowledge was experiential, and I was hesitant to study it further in college because I was worried I lacked enough academic experience. When I learned about the EPC program, I felt like I found a perfect mix of traditionally academic study and experiential learning that made me feel empowered to delve further into environmental studies.

How did your studies in the EPC Program impact you personally and/or professionally?
As a science writer, the EPC program created a lens through which I look at every story. Because the program taught me about how environments are deeply intertwined with cultural and social systems, I always reflect on these systems when sifting through emerging research that may appear to be isolated on the surface, but never truly is.

Is there a specific course, event, or memory associated with the EPC program that sticks out to you from your time at Northwestern?
Global Environments and World History with Professor Helen Tilley is a must-take class. I wish I had taken it earlier. It was an amazing class to learn about the evolution of environmental movements and how to think critically about who, historically, has dominated environmental conversations and attempted to disguise violence. Although not an EPC-designated class, Health and Science Reporting with Professor Patti Wolter was integral to how I thought about writing for EPC classes to create engaging stories that included firsthand perspectives.

What are you working on right now that excites you the most, or are there any accomplishments you would like to share?
In my current role at Science News, I was able to work on a story with Professor Wil Burns and a guest lecturer from his International Wildlife Law class, Richard Caddell. I loved getting to connect with my EPC community to continue learning beyond the classroom.

What fun fact do you want to share with the Northwestern community?
Although I can’t kidnap the street cats of Evanston anymore, briefly living with an Evanston cat that my roommates and I called “Little Angel” prepared me to raise two wonderful cats in DC.

How do you enjoy spending your free time?
In my free time I produce videos about rare breeds of chickens and am trying to get better at quilting.