L O R E N A｜ 金兰睿

Ten fellowship opportunities worth knowing about ✨ Some of these I’ve experienced directly. Others are programs I consistently recommend because of the communities they build and the doors they open. A few others to keep on your radar: @776foundation @hlucefdn @echoinggreen @voqalorg And here’s something people don’t say enough: even when an application doesn’t work out, it’s still valuable. You sharpen your story, clarify your goals, and learn how to articulate your impact. In some cases, programs will even recommend strong applicants for other opportunities if they don’t advance past a semifinalist or finalist round. ✨And always ask for feedback if it’s not explicitly stated feedback isn’t allowed. So truly — apply, apply, apply. Cast a wide net within reason. Stay organized. Protect your time. Say no to what doesn’t fit your schedule or season. To stay up to date on deadlines and new opportunities, follow: @greenjobsboard @opportunitiesforyouth @opportunitytracker ‼️And don’t sleep on opportunities through your university! Your grants & fellowships office or career center often has funding and nominations you won’t find online. Anything I’m missing? Share your tips and recommendations below ⬇️

🌀I’ve been reflecting on how much can change in a single season when tending to community. It requires getting to know your neighbors and stepping out into the cold more often than you'd like, but understanding how your life experiences thread together to power your passions makes the work a whole lot easier. 🪡For me, this thread has been shaped by curiosity across borders, time spent outdoors, and growing up as a Black girl in a Rust Belt city. 🌾If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that your past isn’t something to outgrow. It’s something to weave forward with intention. 💙If you’re feeling called to do work that matters, start by asking: what’s the thread that runs through your story, and how can you use it to gather others for good?

Bridging Worlds 🌎🌍🌏 Building Collective Futures with the Global Shapers Community 💙 1️⃣ I joined the @globalshaperscommunity to support social impact initiatives in my hometown, Buffalo, NY — never imagining it would one day take me back to China! 2️⃣ After moving back to Buffalo this summer, I immediately hopped on a plane to represent the @buffaloshapers at a conference and reconnect with old friends along the way. In high school, I did an exchange program in Wuhan and met my host parents for the first time in ten years over dinner. The food was AMAZING and diserves its own post 😋. While at a sports bar in Shanghai, I spotted a @buffalobills helmet, and reflected on how this journey truly began at home. 💙🦬 3️⃣ At the @worldeconomicforum ‘s Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) in Tianjin, I shared my experience as a Gen Z ecopreneur, contributing to conversations about “Entrepreneurship for a New Era.” 4️⃣ While at AMNC, I reunited with fellow Schwarzman Scholars and even an old high school friend — proof that the world is smaller than we think. 🌎 5️⃣ I also joined a National Association for Black Engagement with Asia (@usnabea ) meetup in Shanghai, connecting with brilliant Black professionals and who are reshaping what global engagement looks like. 6️⃣ Then, it was off to Geneva for the Global Shapers Annual Summit, where I joined other Shapers beginning their curatorship and spoke about my work with @invasiveimpact — turning invasive species into opportunities for climate education and materials innovation. 7️⃣ As part of the Future50 Initiative, I met some members of my cohort in person after months of virtual collaboration on intergenerational foresight. From China to Switzerland, my story — and my purpose — remain rooted in Buffalo. 🌿 💫 Grateful for the bridges built, the lessons learned, and the community shaping the future together. 💙 Follow @buffaloshapers and apply to join, link in bio! 🦬 #GlobalShapers #BuffaloShapers #Future50 #AMNC #ClimateAction #YouthLeadership #Ecopreneurship #WEF #IntergenerationalForesight #InvasiveImpactInitiatives #NABEA #SchwarzmanScholars #Sustainability #ShapingTheFuture #GlobalCommunity #GoBills

FELLOWSHIP INFO SESSIONS 3/17/2026 SESSION CANCELLED: Due to weather-related travel delays, Lorena will not make it to campus on time to host the info session on 3/17/2026 at the BSC. Those who were planning to attend are instead encouraged to attend the session with her on 3/18/2026 at 7:30 p.m. More info at: https://wildcatsync.davidson.edu/event/12311193.  -- The Office of Fellowships is thrilled to welcome back Lorena James ‘21 to campus from March 17-19! Join this Davidson alumna, ecopreneur, and former Schwarzman Scholar, for a series of events about identifying, preparing for, and applying for fellowships. 📌 WHAT: Info Sessions featuring Lorena James ‘21 🗓 WHEN: March 17-19 📍 WHERE: Various locations across campus Swipe for info about three sessions all students are invited to. Search “Lorena James” on WildcatSync to find and RSVP for all opportunities to meet and learn from her! Sessions are made possible thanks to the generous support of Sonoko and David Barnard ‘79.

Please join us in welcoming Lorena to Cohort 3 of Climate Storytelling 2075! Lorena James (she/her/they) is an ecopreneur and movement-based artist whose work sits at the intersection of agriculture, invasive species management, and environmental justice. She is the founder of Invasive Impact Initiatives and works with Nature for Justice to support regenerative, Black and Indigenous-led agricultural systems across the U.S. With over a decade of experience in modern dance and choreography, Lorena explores how bodies carry ecological memory, labor, and responsibility as stewards of Turtle Island. Her storytelling centers land, food systems, and community – bridging urban and rural geographies from Buffalo, New York to Aiken, South Carolina. She brings a community healing-centered approach to reimagining just and regenerative climate futures.

There’s a quiet power in watching someone turn care for the land into collective action. @ecolorena is doing exactly that—reimagining environmental justice through restoration, creativity, and community. An ecopreneur and environmental justice advocate, Lorena works at the intersection of restoration ecology, climate resilience, and cultural expression. Through her youth-led initiative, Invasive Impact Initiatives, she transforms invasive species into art, seed bombs, and educational tools—inviting young people to see environmental stewardship not as sacrifice, but as possibility. Rooted in Buffalo and Charlotte, Lorena’s work centers ancestral knowledge, civic engagement, and joy. Whether she’s mentoring emerging environmental leaders or helping communities heal ecosystems through creative reuse, her approach is both rigorous and deeply human. In our conversation, we talk about what it means to build cities where people feel empowered to restore the land—and themselves—together. This is environmental science grounded in culture, imagination, and hope. 🎙️Stay tuned. There’s much more to come. 🌱 • • • • #EnvironmentalJustice #EcoEntrepreneur #ClimateResilience #CreativeEcology #WomenInScience

Happy Black History Month! Black liberation is the blueprint. ❤️💛💚 #wildestdreams Sharing some of my favorite Black orgs that bring me love and joy. 🖤 @blackinbuffalo @bge.clt @blackgirlenvironmentalist @usnabea @solnationinc

Happy Holidays! ✨Wishing a Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!🎄🎁 Sharing a highlight from the year, our honeymoon in Curaçao! Sending much love and well wishes into the new year! ✨

Excited to spend even more time outdoors in 2026. ✨ Did you know that the Banded Woolly Bear Caterpillar, the larva of the Isabella Tiger Moth, is famous for folklore predicting winter severity (wide orange band = mild winter, wide black = harsh winter)? 🐛

Make a special trip this holiday season to visit The Love Machine at Kleinhans Music Hall ❤️ Launched by the Conor J. Casey Foundation, The Love Machine is a donation-based vending machine that makes giving back easy. Every purchase supports one of 24 local nonprofits fighting food insecurity across Western New York, including the @massaveproject . It’s a small act of generosity that makes a big local impact. ✨ Follow @feedtheneed716 to stay updated on where The Love Machine pops up next as it spreads love all season long. #foodsecurity #BuffaloNY #FoodJustice #holidaygiving

🚀 Congratulations to Cohort 3 Fellow Lorena James, newly named a Knight Emerging City Champion for her visionary work with Invasive Impact Initiatives. 👩‍🎨 Lorena transforms invasive species removal into a powerful tool for education, creativity, and environmental healing. Through hands-on workshops and pop-ups, participants will remove invasive plants and repurpose them into handmade paper, native seed bombs, and natural fiber art while learning local ecology, sharing stories, and reflecting creatively. Inspired by Lorena and her story, applications for Cohort 4 are open now! 🔔 Apply before the deadline January 25th, 2026! Application link in bio!

zillennial optimism ✨ In 2015, I visited China for the very first time – Beijing, Wuhan, and Shanghai – on a high school exchange trip that completely reshaped my life. I lived with a host family in Wuhan, practiced Mandarin with classmates, and saw a world so much bigger than the one I knew a decade ago. Looking back, that trip was a turning point. It sparked my deep interest in China, global environmental work, and the cross-cultural path I’m still walking today. So much has changed in the decade since, but I’m still grateful for the friendships and memories that have stayed with me all these years. 🫶🏾