Alyson Newsome.
I'm an environmental communicator, GIS analyst, and justice advocate who believes the most powerful tool we have is a story well told. I translate complex science and law into things that actually land for the people who need them most.
Where science meets storytelling, and everyone gets a seat at the table.
I'm a rising senior at Williams College, double-majoring in Geosciences and Environmental Studies with a concentration in Justice & Law. I've always been drawn to the space where hard science meets real human impact, and most of my work lives there.
Over the past few years I've written op-eds for the Conservation Law Foundation, managed social platforms at the Zhilka Center, done direct client advocacy at Greater Boston Legal Services, and built digital content for Climate Cardinals. Every role has been a little different, but the thread running through all of it is the same: making environmental information accessible to people who actually need it.
Outside of work I love a cappella, cooking, and spending way too long on the perfect GIS color scheme. I'm also preparing for law school applications, with a focus on environmental and public interest law.
Every piece of content I create is designed to be understood by anyone, regardless of technical background, language, or prior exposure to environmental topics.
From housing rights at Greater Boston Legal Services to reproductive health access at Planned Parenthood, I've always oriented my work around the people who need it most.
I bridge the gap between complex legal and scientific data and the audiences who most need to act on it: op-eds, digital campaigns, GIS maps, and direct advocacy.
Projects & campaigns
A mix of the work I'm most proud of, from social media campaigns and GIS maps to comics and written pieces. Click a tab to filter by type.
Jordyn Woods: Sustainable Fashion at the NBA Finals
Connecting Jordyn Woods’ courtside bag at the Knicks championship to sustainable fashion production and climate impact.
View post →
Ocean SOS: Comic Strip
14-panel comic on corporate responsibility and ocean plastic pollution, featuring Sally the Harbor Seal. View the interactive reader in the Illustration tab.
Read on CLF →
New England Bottle Bill Report Card
Shareable infographic grading all six New England states on their bottle bill programs for CLF’s 2025 legislative advocacy campaign.
View on CLF →
Op-Ed: She Backs the Bottle Bill
Published op-ed connecting bottle bill policy to community impact. Bylined in The Providence Journal, June 2025.
Read op-ed →
Jordyn Woods: Sustainable Fashion at the NBA Finals
Connecting Jordyn Woods’ courtside bag at the Knicks championship to sustainable fashion production and climate impact.
View post →
Juneteenth: Young Black Climate Activists
Content honoring Juneteenth by spotlighting young Black climate activists shaping the environmental justice movement.
View post →
Our Chapters Program in Action
Graphic spotlighting Climate Cardinals chapters leading climate education sessions globally, highlighting the Abakaliki chapter’s work with students in Nigeria.
View post →
Guterres at London Climate Action Week
Reel featuring UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at London Climate Action Week, edited and captioned to amplify key messaging around El Niño risks.
Watch reel →
Extreme Heat Adaptation Event Cancelled by Extreme Heat
Reel capturing the irony of a London extreme heat adaptation event being cancelled due to extreme heat during Climate Action Week, June 2026.
Watch reel →
North Atlantic Right Whale Campaign
Social media graphic for CLF’s Ocean Month campaign spotlighting the North Atlantic Right Whale as one of Earth’s rarest marine mammals.
New England Bottle Bill Report Card
Shareable infographic grading all six New England states on their bottle bill programs for CLF’s 2025 legislative campaign.
View on CLF →
Intern Life Reel (Comedic)
Wrote, produced, and appeared in a comedic reel capturing the intern experience at a climate org, blending humor with behind-the-scenes storytelling.
Watch reel →
How Climate Change Is Coming for Your Matcha
Reel connecting climate change to the matcha supply chain, framing environmental impact through an everyday cultural trend to reach a broader audience.
Watch reel →
Guterres at London Climate Action Week
Reel featuring UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at London Climate Action Week, edited and captioned to amplify key messaging around El Niño risks.
Watch reel →
Extreme Heat Adaptation Event Cancelled by Extreme Heat
Reel capturing the irony of a London extreme heat adaptation event being cancelled due to extreme heat during Climate Action Week, June 2026.
Watch reel →
Zilkha Center Environmental Reel
Produced and appeared in a reel for the Zilkha Center for the Environment at Williams College, supporting digital communications and campus sustainability storytelling.
Watch reel →
Ocean SOS: The Fishy Story Behind Ocean Plastic Pollution
14-panel comic on corporate responsibility and ocean plastic, featuring Sally the Harbor Seal. Flip through the panels with the arrows or swipe.
Trigger Warning
This comic contains depictions of sexual harassment and police brutality. Take time to care for yourself as needed.
Graphic Short Story: Regina Jennings & the Black Panther Party
A semi-biographical graphic story following Dr. Regina Jennings’ journey from 1960s Philadelphia into the Black Panther Party, centering the intersectional experience of Black women in liberatory movements. Drawn and written sophomore year.
Op-Ed: She Backs the Bottle Bill
Published op-ed advocating for Rhode Island's bottle bill, connecting plastics policy to community health and environmental justice. Bylined June 2025.
Read op-ed →
New England Bottle Bill Report Card
Designed the report card infographic grading all six New England states on their bottle bill programs, published alongside a CLF blog post for the 2025 legislative campaign.
View on CLF →Williams Awarded Tree Campus Status
Bylined article explaining how Williams College earned Tree Campus certification, covering the five Arbor Day Foundation standards met and the campus partnerships involved.
Read article →
Ocean SOS: The Fishy Story Behind Ocean Plastic Pollution
Wrote and illustrated a 14-panel comic for CLF's blog on corporate responsibility and ocean plastic. Full interactive reader in the Illustration tab.
Read on CLF →I took GIS my sophomore year and ended up completely hooked. There's something that clicks for me about translating data into a map that tells a story anyone can understand. These are projects I built in ArcGIS Pro, from earthquake risk assessment to abortion access policy. Each one has a write-up attached if you want to dig into the methodology.
Mapping Abortion Access Across the U.S.
A spatial analysis of the post-Dobbs abortion policy landscape, categorizing all 50 states by restriction level, gestational limits, and exception policies.
Learn more →
Earthquake Risk & Railroad Vulnerability in Turkey
Heat map visualizing earthquake magnitudes across Turkey (2000–2023) with railroad lines overlaid to identify infrastructure at highest seismic risk.
Learn more →
Hurricane Katrina Flooding Extent in New Orleans
Before-and-after Landsat satellite imagery showing Katrina's flood footprint across residential New Orleans. Found approximately 48% of residential area was inundated.
Learn more →
20 Years of Urban Expansion in Houston, Texas
Land use change analysis using Landsat imagery from 2004 and 2024, tracking the conversion of farmland and forest to developed land across Harris County.
Learn more →
Climate Worry & Voting Shifts: 2016 vs. 2020
County-level map of Florida and Georgia comparing election shifts alongside Yale climate opinion data, asking whether rising climate concern translated to voting changes.
Learn more →
Coastal Erosion & Cultural Heritage Loss on Rapa Nui
50- and 100-year coastal erosion projections for Easter Island mapping which Moai statues are at risk. Up to 44.6% may be lost within 100 years without intervention.
Learn more →
Critical Habitat for Northern Spotted Owls, Mt. Hood
Habitat suitability analysis combining elevation, forest type, and road noise buffers to identify ideal and acoustically disturbed habitat zones in Mt. Hood National Forest.
Learn more →
Historic Greyhound Routes vs. Today's Major Cities
Georeferencing project overlaying the 1935 Greyhound bus network onto present-day U.S. cities, asking how well Depression-era transit would serve modern population centers.
Learn more →Where I've worked
Managing content series and LinkedIn presence, creating multilingual educational materials, and authoring intern onboarding documentation to scale organizational communications.
Authored op-eds and blog posts on plastics and ocean protection litigation. Translated complex legal and scientific data into creative visuals and coordinated with litigation teams to align digital storytelling with legal strategy.
Researched and drafted policy advocacy materials on homelessness and housing reform. Provided direct client support and assisted attorneys educating tenants on legal rights through public housing privatization.
Managed all digital communications platforms, growing non-follower engagement by 37%. Relaunched sustainability learning modules for first-years and authored newsletter articles on campus environmental initiatives.
Facilitate workshops on intimate partner violence and sexual assault prevention. Develop educational resources and lead campus-wide awareness efforts to foster a safer community.
Supported healthcare teams delivering reproductive health services to low-income residents. Organized advocacy events and created social media content to expand access to PPSNE services for local youth.
Where I'm studying
Bachelor of Arts, double major in Geosciences and Environmental Studies
Concentration: Justice & Law
Beyond the brief.
Communications, design, and content that lives outside a press release.
Social Media & Comms
From campaign graphics to platform strategy, I create content designed to reach people where they are. Recent work spans LinkedIn management, climate education series, and environmental advocacy storytelling.
Design & Illustration
Comics, zines, and illustrated pieces that bring environmental and social justice topics to life. Design as a form of advocacy: accessible, visual, and built to travel.
Video & Reels
Short-form video for social media: Instagram Reels and campaign clips. More to come as I keep making stuff.
Let's work together.
I'm a rising senior actively seeking opportunities in environmental communications, social justice law, and policy. Open to internships, research roles, or anything at the intersection of science, law, and storytelling.