Student spotlight: Anushka Vijay on advancing climate adaptation and marine conservation
Stanford students are getting a head start on careers with education and leadership programs offered by the Woods Institute for the Environment. We talk with Anushka Vijay, a senior who built both academic knowledge and practical experience through the Environmental and Policy Internship (EPIC) program.
Vijay interned with the California Ocean Protection Council in 2024, where she helped develop methods to demonstrate the social impacts of marine protected areas, including job growth and cultural preservation, while exploring ways to empower citizen scientists to support monitoring and climate adaptation funding. In 2025, she interned with the World Wildlife Fund, where she helped assess funding for climate adaptation projects and developed tools to monitor more than $340 million in climate initiatives across Bhutan, Pakistan, and Colombia.
What part of your EPIC experiences was most meaningful or eye-opening?
I appreciated the ability to jump into existing projects, and see real-world applications of issues and solutions I learn about at Stanford, from policy development to conservation project design. I saw directly what my research and ideas were going to, and I was a part of a team that was very supportive and encouraging of me contributing to their work.
How have these opportunities influenced your academic or career aspirations?
The common link between the two experiences was that they showed me how I could apply people-focused approaches to environmental conservation. I had previously understood the importance of centering communities, but these opportunities helped me discover specific tools, especially in policy and climate finance, to actually do that. They sparked my interest in career paths where I can further explore these tools, engage diverse stakeholders, and create conservation solutions that truly reflect people’s needs.
What advice would you give other Stanford students considering research, internships, or fieldwork in environmental or sustainability topics?
Come in with a willingness to learn, and a curiosity about the issues. There are so many directions you could go in, but you can find ways to dive deeply if you have an open mind.
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Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
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