An Interview with Mel Tian
Growing up as the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Melissa Tian (who goes by her nickname “Mel”) noticed patterns in her life. She saw that there were many people who didn’t see racial disparities and many who didn’t see the climate crisis as real issues. There were also those who didn’t see their intersection. She held these views, but did not have the platform to express them. She says, “many times you can know what your voice is, but not be able to use it.” Changemakers helped her use her voice. Her drive, determination and deftness within environmental advocacy spaces is something she credits to the network. These skills taught her remote organizanizing, advanced her public speaking, and gave her the confidence to be the leader she is today. The support of the Changemakers network pushed her to do things outside of her comfort zone, leading her to achieve in ways she didn’t know she could.
Her journey with the Changemakers first began in 2018, when Mel heard about the Changemakers network from an upperclassmen at her highschool. This prompted her to attend the gathering in 2018, which eventually led to her becoming a planning team member for the next year’s gathering. From there, Mel took on many projects with the Changemakers network. In 2020 she became a youth community organizer, leading projects like MEEA’s monthly Beyond Statements Equity Calls and participating in panel events with other organizations. She organized a book club amongst members of MEEA staff, worked with the JustME for a JustUS collaborative project, and despite leaving the state for college, she jumped right back in to help plan Changemakers’ 2021 Winter Virtual Gathering.
She’s enjoyed her time with the network, citing her “best experience” as many experiences, inclusive of all the interactions with the supportive Changemakers community. In the summer of 2020, she was also excited to attend network virtual meetings, which became a gathering space she referred to as a “good way to share cool stuff with cool people.” She credits Changemakers for providing a network of friends who feel a similar sense of urgency when it comes to protecting the climate. She also noted the vast set of opportunities the network provides for young people, putting them in spaces they may not have been in otherwise, and encouraging them to grow both professionally and personally.
Another aspect of Changemakers that Mel enjoys is its unique structure. Its ability to pull in young people, knowledgeable mentors, adults and allies under one banner“has been great.” As young people will be the leaders of the future, Changemakers’ ability to connect adults willing to pass on their knowledge to youth is something that she has not seen in other organizations. Mel also notes the network’s willingness to have hard conversations, and hold exchanges between the generations.
Lastly, and perhaps her favorite part of the network, are the powerful bonds that have grown from it. Changemakers is a place where ideas can be shared, mistakes can be made, and ultimately, growth can be had. To her memory, there aren’t many groups with the same level of forgiveness as Changemakers, nor the same willingness to prioritize the soul of a person in the way the network will.
Mel looks forward to the future. In the next five years she envisions more youth with passions for climate activism becoming involved with the network.. She sees Changemakers operating on a larger scale and attracting national attention as it sets the example for groups around the country. Best said in her own words, “MEEA and Changemakers will grow and impact more people.”
In her own future, she also has exciting dreams. As an undergraduate student, she hasn’t decided on a particular career to focus. However, she hopes to connect the science and the human aspect of climate change through the lens of public health. She has a particular interest in connecting science to people in meaningful ways, without jargon or story-less statistics. This is reflected by her past work helping run her highschool’s Stormwater Management Research Team (SMART), a club which teaches students to monitor the health of local bodies of water. Her motivation, she says, “is the personal stories that occur due to climate change”. She believes the climate crisis is “the problem” for the young generation and often finds herself angered by denialism and pushback, which further fuels her motivation to make change and pursue her work.
Mel has a belief that young people should advocate and apply pressure on those in power. This is something she practices in her own life. She’s an activist, a researcher, and a fierce campaigner for a better world. She has left her mark on the organization and the organization’s teachings have left their mark on her, creating a road of possibilities for Mel--a road that will lead to many great things.
