Kallalei (ka-la-lay) Ryden joined the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance as a research assistant in the spring of 2024, where she supports both the POLIS Wildfire Resilience Project and POLIS Water Sustainability Project. She is entering her final year as an undergrad at the University of Victoria, where she is completing a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies. Kallalei plans to next pursue a Master’s degree or environmental law. Kallalei is also a UVic Varsity athlete on the Vikes Cross Country and Track team. She grew up on the Sunshine Coast, B.C. and in Maui, Hawai’i, where she has worked with the Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project. She is interested in species’ behaviour research, as well as identifying and implementing policy change informed by this research. She is excited to work with POLIS as the team identifies actionable solutions to priority environmental issues. Kallalei’s interests (beyond running and all things related to nature) include surfing, reading, drawing, and camping.
