Alumni Dispatches

By Guille Gil-Reynoso

Everyone has the power to impact our world and shape our future. The following dispatches illustrate how Cate alumni are deeply involved and engaged in meaningful work with the hope and intention to address the most pressing issues impacting our communities.

Allegra Roth '10

Allegra Roth distinctly recalls the striking scenery of avocado, orange, and lemon orchards on her picturesque daily commute on Highway 150 from Ojai to Carpinteria. It was this beautiful landscape and the changing seasons that galvanized her interest in agriculture, climate change, and land use. After graduating from Cate, Allegra attended University of California, Davis and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Community and Regional Development. She is currently completing her Masters degree in Public Policy at UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Between academic pursuits, Allegra worked at the California State Legislature on water and climate policy and became interested in “on the ground” environmental issues. She left the capitol to work with then Assembly Members Das WIlliams and Monique Limón, and became intrigued with carbon sequestration, soil health, and water and food security.

Through Allegra’s connections to farmers, ranchers, social sector agencies, and policy makers, she has been engaged in bringing to light the gap that exists between implementing sustainable projects and environment regulations. According to Allegra, many farmers are interested in climate beneficial projects including composting, cob homes, and water retention ponds and there are many State incentives to develop these projects. She holds, “However, there are regulatory barriers when it comes down to permitting these projects and getting legal support from the County permitting agency. There is either no permitting pathway, or it’s too onerous for people.” By pursuing public policy, Allegra intends to address this disparity to ensure that policy, governance, and decision-making are more transparent.

In order to understand policy and land use issues, Allegra has to ask tough questions – a skill she learned at Cate. “Cate gave me a lot of confidence to talk to people who are different from me and this really helped me put myself out there.” She encourages students to take chances: “There is no wrong decision in terms of your career when you are young. Every door that you walk through is going to teach you something valuable. Just walk through the door!”

Allegra is passionate about her work, and we will continue to hear more about her focus on state incentives, regulatory barriers, sustainable land use, and ultimately, climate resilience. Allegra remembers, “When I was at Cate, I was definitely considered the hippie environmentalist and I didn’t know if that was going to be part of my identity forever. Now that I’m 31, I’m still talking about the same things.” She joyfully adds, “I guess I want people to know that Allegra is still at it. She hasn't stopped.”