Life after Climate Cafe

Published 5.2.19, Bailey Fogel

It is hard to imagine life after high school, often because of such pressing timelines of never ending due dates for projects that you really don’t feel so passionate about. Interviewing Sarah Brown, a Climate Cafe alum & freshmen at Princeton University, was an opportunity which sparked a sense of hope and excitement for what my own future may hold. Sarah followed on a similar path to the one I am about to embark on. She took a gap year after graduating high school and traveled to Bolivia to stay with a host family and work on environmental issues. I may not be traveling to Bolivia next year, but I am taking my own path where I will focus on the environment and traveling to get more real world experience with it.

We were more specifically interviewing Sarah on the video she made "Tikas Payas". Sarah's free time allowed her to explore this new hobby and film the story of how a devastating mud slide affected the local people. The story was heartbreaking, yet also awaking because it proves that climate change isn’t just a slow process but it can affect whole communities and shake them to the bone to make positive change occur. In the interview Sarah shared about her experience and it was inspiring. Sarah’s love for the people of Bolivia was apparent in her word choice and gestures. Sarah truly feels a deep connection with the people and used only their voices, not hers, to tell their story. This film is a major wake up call, that extreme events like this do happen, and when they do communities realize the impending troubles of climate change. Sarah’s work with GOMI and Climate Cafe was helpful in her feeling comfortable with talking to different people and her passion for the environment truly carries on. This film was a small window into Sarah’s perspective on this issue and she hopes to continue more into the documentary world to give voice to people most affected by the climate crisis.