About Ashley Logan

After her presentation at the National Environmental Justice Conference, we talked with Ashley Logan 
about who she is and what has motivated her work. I'm Rachel Carr, a summer intern at the EPA, and 
I'm exploring what the Educate, Motivate, Innovate Initiative is and who the young leader involved are. 
You will hear excerpts from our conversation with Ashley about who she is and how she developed her 
project. 
Ashley Logan is undergraduate student at Virginia State University where she studies Agriculture and 
investigates issues around climate change. She explains how she came to this research and how she 
came to present this research through the Educate, Motivate, Innovate Initiative.
Ashley first attended the Educate, Motivate, Innovate Initiativeas an audience member in 2017. 
I just walked away feeling like I had learned to much. It was eye opening.
It motivated me to actually look at my own area and see what problems we're facing with agriculture. 
Ashley directed this passion and curiosity into researching her own project. From there, she applied to 
become a part of the Educate, Motivate, Innovate Initiative and was able to return as a student 
presenter in 2018. Her project focused on, building the community which inspired her. 
To other students, Ashley says: keep going. It's very important you make these topics come to light. 
She encourages people to: Go out and take surveys of your community. She also encourages people to 
step outside the traditional limits of researcher: talk to the politicians, interview local communities like 
factories, like what are they putting in the air, like what is the actual name of these chemicals. Then 
actually bring that all together and present it. 
Ashley shared her background and experience with us after presenting on a panel at the 2018 National 
Environmental Justice Conference. To see her presentation or to learn more about the conference or the 
Educate, Motivate, Innovate Initiative, please visit the epa.gov/environmentaljustice.