Mary Catherine

In Mary Catherine’s junior year of high school, she noticed that on the adjacent field to where she was playing softball with her team, there were people spraying herbicides or pesticides. It soon drifted over to where her teammates, people watching the game, and herself were. This event, as well as Mary Catherine’s background and interest in STEM, spurred her to try and change herbicide and insecticide policies in her community through her youth-led organization SpeakUp GreenUp. SpeakUp GreenUp aims to change policies centered on herbicide and pesticide use by highlighting the issues behind their use and the harmful effects they can have on the environment and people. Mary Catherine does this through interviews and other advocacy tools, educating the public about the harmful effects of the chemicals while also making them better informed to make the choices on how to manage green spaces within their communities.