My life has been like a river taking many turns

"Back home I studied sustainable development engineering, and although my path hasn’t been a straight one, every turn has taught me something important about who I am and what I want to do.

I grew up in Monterrey, which is a big city surrounded by mountains. It is very industrial, not exactly pretty, but the contrast between the urban landscape and the mountains has always been such an important part of my life. I really miss them here in Stockholm. The mountains, to me, mean possibility, as if everything can happen there. Maybe I am spoiled because I grew up seeing them every day. There is so much life around them, so many species, even bears that sometimes walk into the city. For me, that mix of city life and wild nature has always shaped how I see the world.

Even though I lived in a landlocked city, I became fascinated by whales when I was very young. I remember getting a “make your own book” kit and deciding to write and draw about all the different types of whales. When I finally saw them in real life, in Baja California, it was life-changing. We saw a mother and her calf, and I remember the guide explaining that whales were being threatened by human activities and climate change. I must have been around seven, and that was the moment I started caring about the environment, not just as something beautiful, but as something that needed protection.

Ever since then, I have seen myself as an environmentalist. In second grade I helped start a recycling programme at school. I did not fully understand it all, but I knew I wanted to do something that mattered. When I grew older, I thought I might become a bio-sustainable architect because I loved art and design, but I eventually studied sustainable development engineering instead. It was not an easy decision, as I actually hated maths and wanted to study biology, but I received a good scholarship and decided to take that path. The first years were hard. It was so focused on physics and energy systems, and I often felt like I did not fit in. But when the Mexican government later tried to block renewable energy reforms, everything suddenly made sense. I understood what was happening and why it mattered, and that made me appreciate my degree in a completely new way.

After I graduated, during the pandemic, I struggled to find a job. Then I was offered what felt like my dream position, leading the first climate office in my local government. It was an incredible opportunity, but also a tough one. We had no budget, and not everyone in the government wanted to take climate action seriously. I even had to bring my own toilet paper to the office. Still, we managed to pass the city’s first climate regulation, which I am really proud of. Eventually I realised that even though it was the job I had dreamed of, it was not the right time for me. Letting it go was hard, but it also opened the door to new possibilities.

Later I worked for World Urban Parks, helping to organise conferences and start a podcast about parks and resilience. It was exciting to combine what I had learned about climate with a different field, and I loved discovering how parks can shape people’s quality of life.

Now at Stockholm University, I am researching how to connect sustainability with social equity, and how to make sure that climate action also improves people’s lives. It is easy to talk about greening cities and reducing emissions, but we also need to talk about fairness, poverty and inclusion. My thesis looked at how my city, Monterrey, can move towards sustainability while staying within the Earth system boundaries, and that experience really brought everything full circle for me.

I have learned that life does not always go as planned, and that is okay. I used to cry when things did not work out, when doors closed or plans changed, but now I am grateful for every turn the river has taken. Each twist has made me who I am today and given me insights I would never have had otherwise. I still do not know exactly where I will go next, perhaps back to government, perhaps research, perhaps working with local communities, but I know I want to keep exploring how we can create a more sustainable and beautiful world."

Alicia Landín Quirós
 

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