Presidents Medallion 2024
SES Senior Thomas Crabtree Receives the Loyola President’s Medallion
The Loyola University Chicago President’s Medallion honors one student from each college, school, and institute who excels in leadership, scholarship, and service. The recipients exemplify the true meaning of being a Loyola student by empowering their community with integrity. This year, the award for the School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) went to Thomas Crabtree, a senior from Annapolis, Maryland. He shared his thoughts about his Loyola experience and his plans for the future.
Thomas Crabtree received the Loyola President's Medallion for demonstrating leadership, scholarship, and service.
What is your major, and why did you choose it?
A: I decided to major in environmental policy because it combined my interests in government and law with my passion for sustainability. As I became familiar with common environmental issues, I quickly realized public policy plays an important role in both causing and addressing environmental problems. I want to be part of the solution to the issues we are facing, and this degree gives me the skills to contribute to the policy process.
What sort of extracurricular and service activities have you participated in at Loyola?
I am involved with the Student Environmental Alliance (SEA) and the Restoration Club and served one term on both of their executive boards. These organizations are great for connecting what we learn in class to the real world through advocacy efforts with SEA and assisting with the restoration project at LUREC. As a student studying the environment in the context of the climate crisis, it can be hard not to feel powerless, but organizing fellow students to take action has been incredibly rewarding.
What sort of research experience have you gained as an undergraduate?
While at Loyola, I participated in the Community Air Research Experience, where I researched air quality in Chicago, focusing on two air pollutants that harm human health. My study connects air quality to environmental justice and climate change by measuring pollutant concentrations across communities in the Chicagoland area and measuring the impact of wildfire smoke on local air quality. Our project aimed to inform local communities about their air quality and connect our results to how they can better protect themselves personally and through the policy process.
What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned at Loyola and in SES?
SES taught me about the importance of community. My fellow students in SES are some of the most courageous students I know because, in the face of the ecological crisis, they committed themselves to degrees focusing on the natural and social systems that so often result in the degradation of our common home. I am inspired by their commitment to the betterment of our earth and our society. Being in community with them is often what sustains me in what can be a difficult field of study.
What does Loyola’s Jesuit mission mean to you? How has it influenced your experience as a student?
What resonates with me from Loyola’s Jesuit mission comes from St. Ignatius and Fr. Arrupe: ‘go forth and set the world on fire’ and being called to be ‘people for others.’ I think these sentiments are the root of what we learn about in the pursuit of justice and a call to action to respond to the needs of the world. These values made my experience at Loyola unique, and they guide me as I prepare for my next chapter after leaving Loyola.
What has been the best or most memorable part of your Loyola experience?
The most memorable part of my Loyola experience was being part of Loyola’s delegation during the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice’s advocacy day. Following the teach-in, which focuses on social justice and memorializing the lives of the Salvadorian Jesuit martyrs, I gave a speech at the steps of the U.S. Capitol before a day of meetings with lawmakers’ staff to advocate for legislation that promotes environmental justice. That day was the culmination of a lot of hard work and passion, and it was very special to me.
How has your education at Loyola prepared you to achieve your future goals?
Loyola has provided me with the education and skills to advocate for a more just and sustainable future. As I have heard Dean Tuchman describe it, policy can be a lever of social change. I am looking forward to a career working within the public policy process to tackle the climate crisis and promote justice and equity. The opportunities to engage in research and internships in addition to my course work have given me confidence as I enter the world of environmental law and policy.
What is your major, and why did you choose it?
A: I decided to major in environmental policy because it combined my interests in government and law with my passion for sustainability. As I became familiar with common environmental issues, I quickly realized public policy plays an important role in both causing and addressing environmental problems. I want to be part of the solution to the issues we are facing, and this degree gives me the skills to contribute to the policy process.
What sort of extracurricular and service activities have you participated in at Loyola?
I am involved with the Student Environmental Alliance (SEA) and the Restoration Club and served one term on both of their executive boards. These organizations are great for connecting what we learn in class to the real world through advocacy efforts with SEA and assisting with the restoration project at LUREC. As a student studying the environment in the context of the climate crisis, it can be hard not to feel powerless, but organizing fellow students to take action has been incredibly rewarding.
What sort of research experience have you gained as an undergraduate?
While at Loyola, I participated in the Community Air Research Experience, where I researched air quality in Chicago, focusing on two air pollutants that harm human health. My study connects air quality to environmental justice and climate change by measuring pollutant concentrations across communities in the Chicagoland area and measuring the impact of wildfire smoke on local air quality. Our project aimed to inform local communities about their air quality and connect our results to how they can better protect themselves personally and through the policy process.
What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned at Loyola and in SES?
SES taught me about the importance of community. My fellow students in SES are some of the most courageous students I know because, in the face of the ecological crisis, they committed themselves to degrees focusing on the natural and social systems that so often result in the degradation of our common home. I am inspired by their commitment to the betterment of our earth and our society. Being in community with them is often what sustains me in what can be a difficult field of study.
What does Loyola’s Jesuit mission mean to you? How has it influenced your experience as a student?
What resonates with me from Loyola’s Jesuit mission comes from St. Ignatius and Fr. Arrupe: ‘go forth and set the world on fire’ and being called to be ‘people for others.’ I think these sentiments are the root of what we learn about in the pursuit of justice and a call to action to respond to the needs of the world. These values made my experience at Loyola unique, and they guide me as I prepare for my next chapter after leaving Loyola.
What has been the best or most memorable part of your Loyola experience?
The most memorable part of my Loyola experience was being part of Loyola’s delegation during the Ignatian Family Teach-in for Justice’s advocacy day. Following the teach-in, which focuses on social justice and memorializing the lives of the Salvadorian Jesuit martyrs, I gave a speech at the steps of the U.S. Capitol before a day of meetings with lawmakers’ staff to advocate for legislation that promotes environmental justice. That day was the culmination of a lot of hard work and passion, and it was very special to me.
How has your education at Loyola prepared you to achieve your future goals?
Loyola has provided me with the education and skills to advocate for a more just and sustainable future. As I have heard Dean Tuchman describe it, policy can be a lever of social change. I am looking forward to a career working within the public policy process to tackle the climate crisis and promote justice and equity. The opportunities to engage in research and internships in addition to my course work have given me confidence as I enter the world of environmental law and policy.