Earth Day – Grace Corn

My name is Grace and I studied BA International Relations and Politics at the University of Lincoln from 2015-18.

The teaching on my course completely shifting my thinking and gave me a new perspective on our society, the power structures within it, and how people drive change. I left Lincoln as a more confident and capable person, who (although still uncertain of what my future looked like) was certain that I could and should take my values into my career and use what I’d learnt at Lincoln to help work for a more just and sustainable future.

As a student, I started learning about the causes and impacts of the climate crisis and became passionate about sustainability, so got involved in activism on campus through the Students’ Union. In my graduating year, I ran in the SU elections to become the first Vice President Welfare & Community at Lincoln to win on an environmentally focussed manifesto. During my year in office, I worked to embed environmental activism within the Union through the creation of the Environmental Officer position, and successfully lobbied the University to declare a climate emergency.

Since Sept 2019, I have worked for Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) as a project manager. SOS-UK is an educational charity created by students and staff at the National Union of Students (UK) in 2019 in response to the climate emergency and ecological crisis. Our theory of change is that education is formative in creating a more just and sustainable future- not only through educating future leaders, but also through creating change here and now through our education – using our campuses as demonstrations of what society can be, harnessing the power of students and staff to create positive change together.

In my role, I manage the delivery of SOS-UK sustainability education and engagement programmes and campaigns at universities, NHS Trusts, businesses and community organisations across the UK. I absolutely love my job because I really believe in the work that we’re doing. I’ve even been able to do some really cool things through it- from organising the national Student Sustainability Summit to attending Prince William’s Earthshot Prize Awards, where I got to meet a few childhood heroes like Sir David Attenborough and Emma Watson!

Outside of work, I volunteer as a Trustee of the University of Lincoln Students’ Union and of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, and as an climate activist with Green New Deal Rising. When I first started learning about the climate crisis, I didn’t think I had a role to play in tackling it beyond changing my diet and shopping habits; I am not a climate scientist or a renewable energy engineer. However, this movement needs so much more than just those professionals if we are ever to have hope of turning the tide on climate change. It needs everyone. Every career need to be a sustainability career. At Lincoln, I found my passion for bringing people together to create positive change- so find your passion and turn it to the crisis. You are needed.