Chloe Yau

Intern

I am a rising senior at Tufts University, pursuing a double major in International Relations and Environmental Studies. Growing up in Hong Kong — a global crossroads of cultures and biodiversity- shaped my passion for understanding global challenges and driving social and environmental change. Over the past several years, my work has centered on the intersections of climate adaptation, community-based conservation, and migration.

My engagement with these issues began during my gap year, when I interned at a refugee center in Hong Kong. There, I witnessed firsthand the discrimination and structural barriers refugees face, inspiring me to write and publish The Displaced Cookbook: Untold Refugee Stories and Ethnic Recipes, a collection amplifying the voices of eight women seeking asylum. The project raised funds, received local media coverage, and earned the Spark for Goods Awards X Ethikaal “Special Mention Award.” It also cemented my long-term commitment to human rights advocacy.

My research partner and I completing field work on the relationship between mangrove growth and coastal resilience in Bocas del Drago, Panama

At fifteen, I was selected as the only student from Hong Kong to attend United World College Costa Rica, where I studied alongside peers from over 70 countries. Living in such a vibrant international community nurtured my love for intercultural collaboration and global interconnectedness. My passion for immigration and displacement issues grew as I co-founded Through Their Eyes, a student group supporting Haitian and Venezuelan refugees in Costa Rica. Later, under the Salmanowitz Program at Boston College, I produced the short film Dreams of Asylum, which documents the experiences of young adult refugees in Hong Kong navigating questions of identity, belonging, and stability.

At Tufts, I continue my human rights advocacy as President of Amnesty International and lead my cultural community as President of the Hong Kong Student Association.  I also make use of my quadrilingual skills to teach English to Chinese and Latin American immigrants at the Chinatown Asian American Center.

In my environmental work, I am passionate about advancing climate resilience, transforming food systems, and supporting community-led conservation as pathways toward environmental justice. My experiences reflect this commitment: I co-founded a sustainable aquaculture program for youth in Hong Kong to promote climate adaptation and ocean stewardship, and I worked with the Naso Indigenous community in Costa Rica on ecosystem-based adaptation strategies. I have also conducted renewable hydrogen and clean energy market research as an intern with Inneos in China.

Currently, I am in Panama with the School for International Training, where I am conducting research for my intended senior honors thesis on climate resilience and Indigenous aquaculture. Alongside this, I am co-authoring a narrative project based on fieldwork in Medellín, Colombia, exploring the social impacts of humanitarian aid withdrawal. These experiences reflect my broader academic interest in how climate adaptation, sustainable food systems, and community-led solutions intersect to create equitable futures.

I have been involved with the Tufts Initiative for Global Leadership and TILIP (Tufts Initiative for Leadership and International Perspective), communities that continue to shape my worldview and approach to leadership.

Outside of academics and advocacy, I love surfing, freediving, kung fu, and backpacking. I was introduced to Sherman and the Trebuchet community by my professor Heather Barry, and I am excited to continue learning from this network, to engage deeply with diverse perspectives and to find common ground in building a more just, resilient, and sustainable world.