Joe Sweeney is currently an undergraduate studying Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology at UC Davis. While in high school, he participated in the Bioneers Intercultural Conversations program that seeks to create a safe space for Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth to share their cultures and develop the skills to better support and uplift Indigenous voices and communities. The experience elicited in him the desire to explore the intersections between climate change, ecology, activism and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). He hopes to pursue a career as a wildlife biologist, working on community based management solutions to the climate crisis.