Scholars & Fellows

Prabha is a master’s student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and a graduate assistant at the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience (ISR). After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, Prabha gained hands-on experience in community-based forest management, which sparked her passion for sustainable land management and community planning. The 2023 Maui wildfires that devastated Lahaina underscore the importance of proactive land management and better understanding how fire intersects social systems. With the capacity provided through The Healy Foundation fellowship, Prabha is researching how community-level exposure to wildfire risk relate to socio-economic indicators and using data on fire risk and exposure to assess social drivers of these factors.

Julianne is pursuing a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning while serving as a graduate assistant with the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience (ISR). Her research interests include sustainable development, community planning, indigenous land issues, and policy implementation. She is currently working with a faculty mentor, Jennifer Kagan, who specializes in topics of environmental governance, to assess the quality of municipal climate action plans (CAPs) across the U.S. for their contribution to policy progression, GHG reduction, and implementation. In 2024, she received a BA from the University of California, San Diego in Environmental Systems with an environmental policy concentration. In San Diego, she focused her efforts on project implementation and community engagement around composting, waste reduction, and food security.

Izzy is a master’s student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and a Graduate Assistant with ISR. Her interests include climate adaptation and food systems, especially as they relate to sea level rise. Prior to starting her masters, Izzy was an AmeriCorps VISTA with the City’s Resilience Office, where she supported the development of the City’s first climate adaptation strategy through research and community engagement. Izzy really enjoys the color purple and playing sports in her free time. She received her BA in Urban Studies from the University of California, Berkeley (2020).

Ryan is a master’s student in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning with interests in climate change planning, land use, and agriculture. As a Research Assistant, he conducts research and provides other support activities for the City and County of Honolulu Climate Change Commission. He is also the president of a small farm on the windward side of O’ahu, growing ti and cacao.

Rachel Han, THF's first Climate Change Fellow, spent a year as the support to the climate change commission and as the hub for all members to communicate through. Rachel’s field of study is Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Coastal Engineering with a focus in coastal/climate policy. She’s currently working on her thesis, “Climate policy for coastal infrastructure/roadways at the Federal, State, and County levels: A case study of policies for tsunami, storm surge, shoreline change, wave overtopping, sea level rise in Maui County, Hawai’i”.